The Shadow War: Black Reaper lll
by Vengfulfate
Summary: Vale has fallen. Friends have been lost or scattered. A war is brewing, long delayed in this version of history. A war for the very fate of Remnant against the black witch Salem. Before the battles can be had, our heroes must first survive a kingdom lost to the soulless creatures of darkness. And what awaits them on the other side is the most dangerous quest in Remnant's history.
1. The Dark City

**Hello again one and all! It's about fucking time I got around to this one! And now that's it has begun, I'm excited to release it into the world! I hope you guys enjoy the 6 chapters ahead that make up Act 1! But there are a couple things I want to say before I get started.**

 **In case you are not already aware, I have altered the ending to Team WBRN: Black Reaper ll. Chapters 10 and 19-27 have all had changes large and small to accommodate a new, much better, and perhaps more realistic continuity. If you haven't read the revised chapters, please do before you begin The Shadow War: Black Reaper lll.**

 **And secondly, I will be following the same upload style I used for BR2. That means I will be posting a chapter a week until this Act is done, and I won't start writing Act 2 until after the final chapter of Act 1 has been released. This lets me take a bit of a break from writing, take in feedback, and (hopefully) stave off the writers block that has kept this from coming out much, much sooner.**

 **So please enjoy!**

 **\- VengfulFate**

* * *

ACT 1

The Fallen Kingdom

 _At the beginning of everything, there were two brothers. One of light, and one of darkness. Like any family, there were times where they hated each other just as much as they loved each other. This would often manifest in the brother of light trying to create something that stood apart from the dark world they were in, knowing it would frustrate his more nihilistic brother. Lands and seas, plants and animals, the very stars above us. The dark brother would react, not outright destroying his brothers work, but corrupting it. Pestilence and famine, fires and disease, separating those stars in a void no life could exist in. Their dance crafted the world we know._

 _One day, after a particularly heated argument, the dark brother went too far. He created a force of pure destruction, cut from his very own cloth. The creatures of Grimm. Even he regretted his decision after the fact. But his brother was forgiving and offered a unique solution. Together, they would craft the perfect being, uniting the best, and worst, of the both of them. They crafted humanity. With their struggle done, the two loving brothers left our world together, confident that we would have no need of them._

* * *

"So the brother of light was good, and the brother of dark was bad?" Blake Belladonna asked skeptically.

The group of Blake, Weiss Schnee, Neopolitan, and Qrow Branwen had been making slow progress through the ruins of Vale, heading towards Beacon. Once things seemed quiet enough, Qrow upheld his promise and began to tell the girls what they would need to know for what lie ahead.

"Some stereotypes exist for a reason," Qrow shot back, "unfortunately, you don't get to control that part of the story. Either deal with it or move on."

"What do the brothers have to do with this Salem?" Weiss asked.

"It's about what she's after," Qrow told them, "godly powers in physical form, left behind after their final act. No one has any concrete theory as to why, but they exist. And they're dangerous."

"So, if she gathers them, she'll be a god?" Blake asked.

"Not in truth, but she might as well be for the power she would wield. These artifacts are physical manifestations of incorporeal concepts, capable of controlling the flow of each power they represent. Creation, Knowledge, Choice, and Destruction."

"Four artifacts," Blake noted.

"Four _kingdoms_ ," Weiss began to realize.

"And four schools," Qrow finished.

"The artifacts are in the schools?" Weiss questioned, "We need to hurry then! Secure Beacon's!"

"Beacon's artifact will be fine for now," Qrow assured them, "They're all hidden in vaults that are useless without the key. And Beacon's key was already attacked three years ago. She'll be on her guard when she notices Vale's destruction."

"She?" Blake asked.

"Shh!" She didn't get a response. A massive nevermore flew overhead, larger perhaps than even the nevermore at Weiss and Blake's initiation. "It's friends won't be far behind. We need to move, quickly and quietly."

* * *

When the sun rose over the devastated kingdom, it was easy to see just how far the city had fallen in just one night. It was quiet and empty, reminding the group very much of Mountain Glenn. Except this wasn't some small, hit-or-miss expansion. This was Vale, one of _the_ four kingdoms that had existed almost as long as recorded history.

"Oh my god…" Weiss couldn't believe her eyes. There was no sign of any human presence. Some of the buildings even seemed damaged already, whether from looters or Grimm they couldn't know. And the dark creatures could be seen, frequently stalking the streets.

"It might actually be safer to move at night," Qrow noted, "We don't exactly blend into the brick and concrete. If we can see them, they can see us."

"So what? Set up camp somewhere for the day?" Weiss asked.

"A third or fourth floor," Qrow nodded, "With a quick exit. A fire escape. Or a neighboring rooftop."

"There," Blake pointed to a tower a few buildings down. It was tall, though the building it was next to had only three floors. "We could make that jump, if we had to."

"Lets go, before we're seen," Qrow nodded.

Weiss hung back a little, falling in step with Neo. Her eyes quickly dropped to the fresh stump, the hand the smaller girl had lost in the chaos. "Hey. How are you holding up?"

Neo held up her stump and signed, 'pain,' with her remaining hand.

"We'll get that taken care of, don't worry," Weiss assured her team mate.

 _You can get me my hand back?_ Neo kept her thoughts to herself, _like that is even what I'm worried about._

'How long?' Neo signed slowly.

Weiss barely caught it, "How long? How long what?"

'Search for her,' Neo picked her words carefully, not wanting to try and sign entire sentences with one hand.

"As long as we could," Weiss answered softly, "Which… admittedly wasn't very long. The Grimm were coming, an entire horde threatened to be on top of us in moments."

 _So you didn't search for her_ , Neo concluded.

"Look, if anyone could survive that, it's definitely her," Weiss tried to comfort.

"That doesn't mean she survived," Qrow butted in.

"Qrow!" Blake scolded.

"What? I'm keeping things real," The aging huntsmen defended, "She's not here, and we're behind enemy lines. We need to focus on us." He looked directly into the furious eyes of the small mute. "We can worry about her when we're safe. She wouldn't want you to kill yourself."

Neo couldn't quite argue, as much as she wanted to. She just huffed and turned away, following the group silently.

* * *

"It's so surreal," Weiss pondered, staring out into the city from a nearby window. "I don't see a single person. How is there not a single person?"

"Maybe they're hiding, like we are," Blake suggested.

"Or maybe they're not," Qrow spoke cryptically.

"More pessimistic than realistic if you ask me," Weiss shot at him.

"There's a difference?" Qrow joked.

Blake looked over their camp. They chose a spacious corner office with tinted windows. They pushed all the furniture in the office against the doors, and since it was day a fire wasn't necessary. This left a lot of space in the middle of the office. Despite this, Neo, who was supposed to be resting, chose to sit against the far wall.

The colorful girl looked as though she was not all there at the moment, absentmindedly fiddling with her bandages. She winced as the wrappings fell away a little, exposing her injury to the elements. Curious, she looked inside. She had done some bad things in her life, sometimes to good people, but she had never been up-close with something like this. Clean cuts, sure, but never such rough tears. _Is my skin supposed to be that color?_

"How are you holding up?" Blake asked the colorful girl, sliding down next to her.

Neo barely acknowledged her presence, wrapping her stump back up with a scowl.

Blake didn't know how to respond, simply sighing. "Just get some rest. It'll give your aura a small boost."

Neo watched Blake stand and walk away. _How am I supposed to sleep?_ She only wanted one thing right now…

A few minutes later another presence sat down beside her. Neo turned to tell off whichever team mate tried to cheer her up next, but her words stuck in her throat. Black coat, silver eyes, cocky smile… She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hey, Ice Cream Cup," Reaper greeted, her smirk growing.

Neo threw herself into Reaper, the dark woman barely catching her in her arms.

 _How did you get out?_

"I'm me, of course I got out," Reaper teased.

Neo took Reaper's face and planted the longest, deepest kiss ever. She couldn't believe this. After everything, she was here. Just here… Just now…

 _And not injured… something's not right…_

Neo finally pulled away and noticed she had grabbed Reaper's face… with both hands…

 _I'm dreaming…_

"Unfortunately…" Reaper admitted, sounding sad.

 _Where are you?_ Neo desperately asked in her head.

"I'd tell you if I could, but this is all in your head," Reaper answered. "Still, we can enjoy ourselves… Right?"

 _It's not the same… I'll wake up, and you'll be gone…_

"But until then," Dream-Reaper leaned in for another kiss.

Neo accepted the kiss, but found herself unable to enjoy it. She knew this was temporary. She knew this wasn't real. And soon enough…

"Sorry, Neo…"

 _For what?_

"It's time to wake up…"

 _No!_

"Neo!" Blake whisper-shouted, "It's time to wake up!"

The faunus woke the small girl sometime during the late dusk. Blake wasn't sure why she got such a venomous look for this. Then again, Neo had little reason to be happy…

"If we're lucky, we might make it to Beacon before daylight," Qrow told the group. "Let's go."

* * *

It was another quiet night as the four snuck through the streets and back alleys of Vale. Things seemed surprisingly calm with only nevermores overhead and the occasional beowolf that Qrow took care of silently. _Maybe They're all being attracted to some extreme source of negativity_ , Neo theorized.

They made good time, which also meant the group was tiring quickly as they neared Beacon. The sun began to rise as they turned the final corner, and Weiss could barely believe her eyes. The airship station for short trips between Vale and Beacon for students visiting town was within sight, _and_ it had an airship! The pilot had just finished loading more survivors when he saw Weiss. "Wait!" he called out to his co-pilot, "There's more coming!"

The group started to make their way across the plaza. The airships engines booted up, having already been in warm up since before Qrow and the girls arrived. The pilot motioned for the group to hurry up, and they picked up their pace. But the combination of the engine noise and the group hurrying across a day-lit plaza lead to unwanted attention. Weiss saw it first, a black mass entering her vision. Seemingly falling from the sky itself after hurling off a nearby rooftop was an Alpha Beowolf.

And it wasn't alone.

 _BANG_

Qrow shot away the Alpha that almost landed on Weiss. As the beast recovered, the rest of its pack circled them. A few creepers and an ursa also joined the fray, coming out of the woodworks and displaying just how overrun Vale truly was. And to top it all off, the giant nevermore from the day before swooped in. The airship retreated, the pilot needing to save the passengers he already had.

Qrow, Blake and Weiss all drew and readied their weapons, huddling around the injured Neo. "Of all the rotten luck…" Weiss complained.

"Tell me about it…" Qrow lamented.

The beasts circled them, looking for weak points, and with a mighty roar the beowolf attacked.

Weiss was quick to impale it upon Myrtenaster and duck to one knee. Blake quickly followed up on the unspoken strategy, hopping onto Weiss's shoulder and using her semblance to launch off, cutting the Alpha's head off in the process. The cat faunus landed several feet away, both swords drawn, ready to battle.

Weiss wrenched Myrtenaster out of the fading corpse and turned the cylinder to Burn Dust. She ran her fingers across the blade, drawing the fire power down the length. With a grunt and a swing, She blasted the fire in an arc that destroyed the creepers. Cycling to Air Dust, the elegant swordsmistress spun and dug her blade into the ground. The shockwave staggered the Grimm around her and gave Weiss time to surround herself with a Time Dilation Glyph. With enhanced speed, the once-heiress cut down the grimm around her in a dance of flashing steel.

Qrow concerned himself with whether he should stick close to the wounded Neo or move away to perhaps increase the girl's luck a little. Unfortunately, the Grimm made his decision for him, lunging after the obvious weak link. Qrow slammed his sword into one beowolf, sending him flying into his friend and knocking them both aside. A third beowolf swung at the huntsman, who easily dodged, severing the beasts leg in the process. With the return swing, Qrow cut the monster cleanly in half.

Meanwhile, other creatures also set their sights on the injured party. Unluckily for them, she wouldn't prove quite the easy target. The Grimm that ultimately lunged at her was confused when the flesh-thing shattered and didn't bleed. Neo had quickly maneuvered onto the beasts back and grabbed a fistful of fur to ensure a clean teleport. Both Neo and the beowolf were soon high in the air where the girl saw her secondary target. Without much forward planning, Neo kicked off her beowolf and launched it into a smaller nevermore, teleporting quickly before gravity took her. The nevermore lost it's balance, and both creatures fell to the earth with a hearty _chrunch_.

Blake launched her weapon in chain-scythe style, wrapping around and anchoring in a beowolf. A quick tug of the ribbon triggered the firearm, dealing a devastating gash as the weapon returned to the faunus. Weiss wasn't doing so well since her dilation ended, and it didn't help that she tried to use her ice, forgetting she emptied it in the generator explosion. She was soon knocked back and landed next to Blake. "Weiss!" The faunus cried, visually checking over her girlfriend.

Qrow wasn't doing much better. He worked his way through several beowolves and an ursa. But he was getting tired, and tripped over the only uneven street tile in the plaza, falling on his ass right in front of an alpha. He scrambled backwards, backing right up into Blake and Weiss. Neo came to the rescue, landing on top of the beowolf and impaling her left heel through it's skull. The Grimm fell and Neo rolled off it, coming to stand next to her friends.

Upon the sights the four saw now, the battle seemed futile. For every grimm they killed, several more took its place, while the massive nevermore circled. Weiss almost forgot she was within a kingdom's walls. At this rate, _former_ kingdom seemed more and more appropriate. The team leader had no idea how they were supposed to get out of this alive…

And then a strange, unexplainable heat wave crashed into them.

"No…" Qrow spoke in response to the phenomenon, "No, not here… what are you doing?"

The horde around them burst into flames. A series of explosions resembling a carpet bombing dealt a significant blow to the creatures of darkness surrounding them. And above them, a sight even the ever-skeptical Weiss couldn't deny. Floating above them, clearly, was a woman engulfed in wind and fire.

"What is going on!?" Weiss questioned.

"Amber," Qrow answered, "the Fall Maiden."

The giant nevermore screeched at this new threat, taking wing. The woman was unfazed. A mass of fire collected in her hand, which she threw at the demonic avian. The bird staggered, falling onto a nearby rooftop. Two smaller nevermore dived at the floating Maiden. She whipped out a staff topped with a red crystal, and used it to throw two more fireballs. One for each nevermore, who screeched and fell, fading before they hit the ground.

The giant nevermore found it's balance, looking up with a face that was melted and charred. The grimm felt increasingly unsure of victory here, and with one final screech, it flew away. The woman, Amber, descended to the ground in front of Qrow. Weiss immediately noted her face was hideously deformed. A spiderweb of scar tissue covered her face, centered around her left eye.

"What are you doing here, Amber?" Qrow immediately questioned.

"That's a fine way to thank your rescuer," Amber huffed, waving her hand to something in the air behind Qrow and the girls.

With that signal, the airship returned, having escaped the nevermore pursuing it. Or perhaps it, too, was rescued by the Maiden. Either way, the group boarded and left the city behind. Finally, the safety of the school was in sight. Finally, Neo would get the help she needed. Finally, they had made it out of the fallen kingdom of Vale.


	2. At Beacon

**Just a quick note, because I know RWBY vol. 6 is around the corner and will be airing before Act 1 of BR3 ends and long before act 2 of BR3 begins,**

 **I already have an idea of how this story is going to go, down to important choices like the identity of Maidens and the functionality of the Relics. Planning for BR3 has been in motion for a long time now, and I will _not_ be using new information from Vol. 6 at any point in BR3. I have tried my best in the past to keep Black Reaper somewhat parallel to canon, including adding Salem and the relics in the first place. But from here on out, Black Reaper is very likely to contradict information from the show in these vital areas. I am choosing the integrity of this story that I have made my own over forcing in info I was not aware of before writing.**

 **\- VengfulFate**

* * *

 _Do you believe in fairy tales?_

 _In an age past, an old wizard lived a solitary existence. This man seldom had visitors, and cherished his privacy. So imagine his surprise when one day, he looked out of his window to see a strange young woman, sitting under a nearby tree. The old man called out to the girl, asking her name and purpose. The woman responded kindly, telling the man she was waiting for her sisters. The woman, like he, seemed to enjoy her solitude. Though, unlike he, she seemed more tranquil, where the man realized he was simply lonely._

 _Soon another young maiden appeared, and upon the man's demand for explanation, introduced herself as one of the aforementioned sisters. In gratitude for his hospitality, however reluctant it was, she spread seeds from her bag and began tending to a brand new garden. As he stared at this marvel, laughter caught his attention. A third girl, a third sister, had arrived, and she gave off an inviting warmth._

 _The man realized what she found so funny was him, and his insistence on remaining indoors on such a lovely day. The old man took heed, and stepped outside. He and the three sisters set about making a banquet, and the fourth sister arrived. She complemented the man on his property, which confused the old man. He told her he didn't have any, to which the fourth sister simply gestured to his lovely garden, which had not only brightened his yard, but revitalized his home._

 _The old man was amazed, and attempted to offer thanks. Instead, he found himself asking, why him? Why share their gifts with he, surely there were others more deserving? The sisters response was to look between themselves with confusion. Finally, the eldest replied, "We help anyone we can. We share our gifts freely."_

 _The old man's heart was warmed by the selflessness displayed. He knew no simple thanks would be reward enough. So, at last, he revealed to the girls his power and used his magic to grant the four girls abilities of their own._

 _The four sisters, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, set forth with their new abilities and the promise to use their new power to continue spreading their gift._

 _But it is at this point in the story that the world of make-believe and our world diverge. For starters, the women's names were not truly Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall. However, they reminded the wizard so much of the seasons that his gift was themed around them, and the four girls became the first Maidens. And when they passed away, their power passed on._

 _The problem here? The power was not always received by safe hands. And the rules of the transference meant evil could far too easily take advantage. So a brotherhood of sorts formed, to save and serve the power of the Maidens. They would seek out the new blood and keep them safe. And the best way to keep them safe was to hide them from the world, and allow their story to fade. First to legend, then to fairy tale…_

* * *

Weiss stared incredulously at the woman explaining all of this. "And you are the Fall Maiden?"

"Yes," The woman, Amber, answered from opposite Weiss in the airship.

"Four schools, four vaults, and four maidens…" Blake began putting two and two together, "Qrow told us Beacon's 'key' had already been attacked. You're Beacon's key. Your power is."

"That is correct," Amber nodded.

"After gods, Grimm queens, and everything else… It's not the craziest thing I've heard," Weiss admitted.

"Speaking of crazy things," Qrow leaned in, "what the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Helping," Amber shot back as if it were obvious.

"You _know_ what the city being attacked like this could mean," Qrow argued, "You could have been delivering yourself right into their arms."

"They are _much_ more subtle than this, and you know it," Amber countered, "What's the point of having this power if I can't use it to help?"

"I never said you couldn't help-"

"Good," Amber interrupted the aged huntsmen, "Then I'm helping."

"Amber-"

"We should stop talking about this if you want to keep certain things secret," Amber cut him off again, "We're almost there."

Neo, who had been staring at her feet this whole time, looked out the window of the airship. They were about to begin landing procedures for Beacon's airship pads. It was only a few days since they were here last, but it felt like a lifetime. And with everything that happened, she almost felt like she was living someone else's life. Had she really lost her hand, an entire kingdom, _and_ Reaper overnight?

Unfortunately, it _was_ her hand missing. Beacon was clearly overflowing with refugees. And Reaper was no where to be seen…

Although, by the look on Nora's face, perhaps it was good Reaper wasn't here, at the moment anyway.

JNPR was in courtyard, within sight of the airdocks. Nora spotted Weiss, Blake, and Neo step off the airship, and her reddening eyes locked onto them. She stood up, intent to b-line right at the group. Pyrrha quickly pushed the pink terror back, and Jaune nodded to them both. Pyrrha led Nora away, and the leader of JNPR approached the party.

"Where is she," He asked them, his voice hard.

"Not here," Weiss crossed her arms.

"Look, Jaune," Blake spoke up, "It wasn't her fault."

"It wasn't her that _killed_ Ren? It wasn't her scythe?" Jaune questioned.

"Well… It's more complicated that that…" Blake tried to explain.

"So it was her. Where. Is. She." It was less of a question now, and more of a demand.

"She's not here. She might not be anywhere anymore," Weiss stated cryptically.

"Weiss!" Blake scolded, looking to Neo. The small girl's gaze once again cast to the ground.

"And even if she is," The heiress backpedaled, "It's like Blake said, she didn't… do that…"

"It wasn't her choice to take her weapon in her own hand and shove it through my team mate? Our friend? _Her_ friend!?" Jaune's voice began to rise.

"No, it wasn't," Blake tried to assure.

"How?" Jaune commanded.

"Look, kid," Qrow interjected, "There's a lot going on here you don't know. And I pray you'll never have to know."

"What does that mean?" Jaune asked.

"It means we have to go try and find a quiet corner. If one still exists," Qrow motioned to the group to walk away.

"Where do you think is still quiet?" Blake asked. "I doubt even our dorm is free of refugees."

"Oz's office is a safe bet," Qrow informed them, "Let's go there."

* * *

The reception area for Ozpin's office was empty. Perhaps because the teachers were waiting for the man himself to return. Or perhaps because it had only been a day or two since Ren's body was removed from the foot of the elevator, and people were uncomfortable hanging around a blood-soaked wall. It certainly made Weiss uncomfortable to look at, and Neo couldn't bring her eyes to it at all.

The elevator itself was a little cramped with all of them, but it didn't take long to reach Ozpin's office. Once at the top they were greeted by the sight of Glynda Goodwitch.

"Qrow?" Glynda seemed surprised to see him. Though not nearly as surprised as she was to see, "Amber!? What are you doing here?"

"Helping," Amber replied dryly, anticipating the response.

"That's dangerous," Glynda retorted.

Just as Amber expected. "So I've been told…"

"And team WBRN. Yet another surprise," Glynda eyed down Qrow. "What are they doing here? What do they know?"

"Enough," Qrow answered, "Oz said 'they're ready'. It was the last thing he told Weiss."

"You're a part of all this, Professor Goodwitch?" Weiss asked in astonishment. How deep did this thing go? "Who else is in this brotherhood of yours? Oobleck? Port?"

"No, neither of them," Qrow told her.

"But the other headmasters of the other schools are, right?" Blake pointed out. "If each school has a vault…"

"And I thought you were the smart one, Schnee," Qrow quipped.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this…" Weiss admitted.

"Wait a minute," Glynda interrupted, "The last thing he told Weiss? You don't mean…?"

Qrow took the clockwork cane off his belt to show her. "He is. We're on our own, for now anyway."

Glynda sighed deeply, sitting on Ozpin's desk. Silence passed as the news settled in.

Amber was the first to break it, "So what do we do now?"

"If this truly is Salem, this is a little overt for her," Glynda pointed out, "She's going to war. So we need to as well. We need to gather allies."

"First, we need to get out of Vale." Qrow reminded them, "It won't be so easy."

"About that," Glynda looked to Qrow, "The CCT Tower is still operational. The other kingdoms know our situation. Ironwood is staging his ships to pick up the refugees here."

"He's one of your allies, too, right? As leader of Atlas Academy?" Weiss caught on.

"If this really is Salem, she'll be watching Vale," Qrow nodded, "It might be a good idea to blend with the rest of the refugees, and we'll be delivered right to Jimmy."

"Girls," Glynda looked to team WBRN, "I'm sure this is a lot to take in. Fortunately, you'll have plenty of time to process before the general's ships arrive. However, I hope I don't need to tell you _not_ to discuss anything spoken within this group to _any_ outside party. Not to your friends, not to anyone."

"We understand," Blake assured.

"Even if I wanted to, _I'd_ need to understand what's going on first…" Weiss shook her head.

Neo simply nodded.

* * *

Winter had been in Vale when the wall fell. Officially, she was still on mission to help bring in Roman Torchwick. She was also one of the first people to make it to Beacon, all but racing there to reach her sister. She was unpleasantly surprised to learn that for whatever reason Weiss and her team weren't on campus. After asking around, Winter found someone who had spotted them leaving with Ozpin. She would have just asked JNPR, as they seemed to be close, but that team was in mourning and Winter wasn't going to interrupt.

As much as Winter wanted to jump back into the city and look for Weiss, she couldn't. Her military responsibility got in the way. After it was decided that Atlas would perform refugee pickup, Ironwood called her to see if she was still alive. He wasn't going to be on the arriving airship himself, and it was up to her to organize things once it arrived. So she _had_ to be at Beacon when it arrived.

Currently, Winter was cursing herself. She tried her best to be at the airship yard every time new refugees from the city arrived, hoping each time Weiss was onboard. But Ironwood called to update her on the progress of the rescue operation, and she had missed a few that morning. So now she was running around Beacon, trying to find, "Weiss!" She barely spotted her sister, as well as Blake and Neo, across the entrance hall.

Weiss's head whipped around at the sound of Winter's voice. "Winter!"

The younger sister dashed across the entrance hall toward her sister. Winter still wasn't used to physical affection, especially from someone with the same last name as her. She was entirely unprepared for the younger throwing her arms around her in a deep hug. It took a few moments for Winter to return the gesture.

"You made it," Weiss exclaimed, "You're alive."

"I am," Winter smiled, pulling away, "And so are you."

"Hello, Winter," Blake approached, having been walking with Weiss. "It's good to see you made it here."

While Weiss, Blake and Winter were distracted with their reunion, Neo took the opportunity to slip away on her own.

"Why weren't you at Beacon?" Winter asked them once the excitement had settled.

"We… had a mission," Weiss told her vaguely, not knowing what she should say in public. She was also hesitant to say _they_ failed to stop the wall being blown to hell.

"What kind of mission do you have with the headmaster in the dead of night?" Winter questioned. "And where is he?"

"The kind that… didn't succeed," Weiss lamented softly.

Winter thought on that for a short moment. "Do you know what happened to the wall?"

Weiss glanced around, seeing all of the people around them. Winter had been second in command for all of Atlas long enough to recognize when someone was trying to keep something secret. She quickly and quietly guided the two students to a far corner where no one would hear them if they kept their voices down. "Weiss, what are you involved in?"

Weiss didn't want to keep secrets from her sister, but she didn't know what she was allowed to say. _She's Ironwood's second, maybe he has let her in…_ "What do you know about maidens and relics?"

"Is that what this is about?" Winter recalled a time where she and the general came to Vale to protect the Vytal Festival and discuss such things. Before she was promptly kicked out of the oh-so important meeting.

"So you do know!?" Weiss was relieved.

"You can talk to me," Winter assured.

Weiss opened her mouth, but Blake's hand on her shoulder quickly shut it. " _Do_ you know?" the ever observant faunus questioned.

 _Curse her…_ "I… have a vague idea of the maidens, though I've never heard of any relics associated with them," Winter admitted grudgingly.

"I see…" Weiss's relief faded back into anxiety.

"You _can_ tell me," Winter desperately reassured.

"If you don't already know, I don't know what I can tell you, if anything," Weiss explained.

"I just want to make sure my sister is safe," Winter pressed, not liking being left out by her own blood.

"I trust you, don't get me wrong…" Weiss lamented, "but if General Ironwood hasn't told you…"

Winter sighed. This is what she was afraid of.

"I understand you worry," Weiss told her, "I worry about you as well. But I know you're capable. If a few more months passed before this happened, I would be a graduated huntress. Add everything else that has happened to my team and I these past four years-"

"It proves you are capable," Winter finished for her. "Fine. I understand. Just tell me… how big is this?"

"Well…" Weiss thought hard on her answer, "A kingdom is all but lost, and that's just the opening play."

That did not help Winter's nerves.

Weiss wrapped her arms around Winter one more time. "Listen, we've gotta get Neo to the med-wing, and I'm sure you're super busy. We'll meet up again later, okay?"

"Very well… but where is she?" Winter pointed out.

"Damn it…" Weiss cursed and left to look for her.

Winter stopped Blake before she stepped away as well. "I've just realized, where is your _other_ team mate?"

Blake's gaze fell. "I honestly wish I knew."

* * *

There were too many people at Beacon. This was technically a good thing, given this means a majority of the population survived what was already being referred to as 'The Fall of Vale'. For Neo, this also meant the halls were a little clustered. It wasn't long before she found herself outside, where even more refugees trying to find some space pushed her to the edges of the grounds. It was there she found something that didn't help her mood at all.

The soil at her feet was recently disturbed. The size and shape of the mound, and the stick at the head acting as a marker, made it clear just what this was. And the green ribbon tied at the top of the stick made it painfully clear _who_ this grave was for. Neo decided to stay a moment, paying what respects she could. It was the least she could do…

"Hello, Neo."

The small girl jumped, turning around to see the newcomer. Pyrrha, the golden champion herself, and team mate to the man buried here…

Neo couldn't meet her eyes, and stared back at the grave.

Pyrrha stepped next to her, eyes also locked onto the mound. "Some of the refugees arrived heavily injured. Some arrived carrying loved ones they couldn't leave behind, despite those loved ones being just bodies. A mortician stepped forward, offering to do his work. Preserving the fallen so when the ships come, they can be safely transported to wherever the families wish to put them to rest."

"Ren and Nora never had a home, however. Not until Beacon anyway. She decided the only place to commit Ren would be here, on these grounds," Pyrrha continued, "It was a small service. No one really had anything to say."

Even if Neo could speak, she wouldn't know what to say. How does one make something like this better?

Pyrrha turned to the colorful ex-criminal. "Jaune told us what you and your team told him when he confronted you on the airship pad. You didn't deny that Reaper's hand killed him. But you claim it wasn't her fault. How?"

Neo had expected the question, but she didn't expect the manner in which it was asked. She had expected angry, tearful, _unreasonable_. She expected a grief-stricken mind that had already decided what the truth was. But Pyrrha sounded calm, even curious. She sounded like she could have even _believed_ this impossible truth. That she may actually be convinced.

Neo wracked her brain with how to respond. What could she tell Pyrrha? What couldn't she tell Pyrhha? How could she explain this while still keeping the secrets of Ozpin's 'Brotherhood'? _Does Pyrrha even know sign language?_

Neo held up a finger to Pyrrha, the universal sign of 'hold on', and went to look for a stick she could use. Upon finding one, she hurried back and began carving words into the ground.

 _HER BODY_

 _NOT HER MIND_

Pyrhha looked at the words, thinking for a long time. "That woman you stepped off the airship with… I know who she is. I know _what_ she is."

Neo's astonishment was clear on her face.

"The battle of Beacon," the golden warrior explained, "The same one that killed Yang. A woman named Cinder Fall had stolen half of Amber's power, and attacked the school to collect the rest. Amber was comatose, and I had to take what remained of her power. With it I matched and then managed to defeat Cinder."

"But I didn't want to keep the power," she continued, closing her eyes and falling into memory. "Despite the risks it presented both Amber _and_ myself, I decided to try and give the power back. It worked, but at a cost. I wasn't myself for a long time. Worse still, I couldn't tell my team why. They only wanted to help, but I had to keep the secret, so I couldn't let them."

Neo nodded, hoping it conveyed her understanding for Pyrrha's troubles.

"I don't want to know anymore secrets that I would have to keep from those I love," Pyrrha confessed, "So I won't ask anymore questions as long as you can do one thing."

Neo looked up to her companion.

"Look me in the eyes."

Mismatched eyes locked with vibrant green.

Pyrrha gestured to the words in the dirt, "Is this the truth?"

Neo's eyes immediately became confident steel. Without breaking eye contact, she gave Pyrrha a quick nod.

"Then I hope you get your Reaper back," Pyrrha told Neo sincerely. "If she does return, hopefully my word can help convince my team without telling them too much. I'm sure whatever is going on is much bigger than any of us if it needs Maidens. I wish all of you the best of luck in the fight."

Neo nodded, and Pyrrha left her to her thoughts. The conversation did bring up an interesting thought for the ex-criminal…

If Pyrrha could know what was at stake and walk away, why couldn't she? Neo saw what the Maiden was capable of… power like that, what would they lose if Neo vanished? All this fate of the world stuff seemed a little over her head in her own opinion. Blake would accept because 'someone has to do the right thing', and Weiss would likely follow if only to help keep Blake safe. But what help could a girl with one hand and no motivation really be? At this rate, it didn't seem like her huntress career would pan out anyway…

"Neo!" Weiss called the small girl from her musings, "There you are, I've been looking all… over…" The heiress stopped short seeing Ren's grave. "Is that…?"

Neo nodded.

Weiss stared at the grave for a moment. "Anyway, Neo, there's an open bed in the med wing for you. Let's get your, umm, wrist looked at."

Neo nodded and followed Weiss. Whatever was next, she needed to square away her injury first. And then she needed to get out of Vale, along with everyone else.


	3. Rescue

The medical wing wasn't nearly as busy as Neo feared it would be. The doctor wouldn't be stretched thin, and her wrist may actually get everything it needs. _Besides, y'know… a hand…_

"Alright, let's see what we have here," A doctor approached that Neo didn't recognize. After a quick visual pass, she saw his badge said 'High Vale Medical', and pointed to it.

"We all do what we can. Not every inured person can afford to wait for Atlas's airships," The doctor told her as he unwrapped the bandage where her right hand used to be. "It seems you may be one of them…"

"Is it that bad?" Weiss asked him.

"Flesh is not supposed to be that color," The doctor informed her, "How long ago did she lose her hand?"

Weiss crossed her arms nervously, "She lost it in the explosion that took out the wall… We were… just a bit too close."

The doctor didn't ask questions, just took another look at the damage. "And the only care its had since is binding the wound with ice. Given our current situation, we don't have time for proper observation and care… It may be easier to remove the affected area."

"You mean amputate more of her arm? Up to where? Her elbow?" Weiss was possibly more anxious than Neo at this point.

"I won't know until I can asses the damage closer, but I doubt I'll have to go _that_ far," The doctor assured, "Only another inch, maybe inch and a half… The infection, though present, appears to be on the surface at first glance."

"There's no way to save what's left?" Weiss continued her concern.

"You can wait for the airships and see if a fully stocked Atlas hospital can help, but it would be a gamble. The infection could get much worse," The doctor informed her.

Before Weiss could even open her mouth again, Neo violently waved her good hand to get her attention. 'Already lost hand,' Neo signed quickly, 'Let doctor do what needs do.'

"What's the verdict?" The doctor asked, not knowing sign language.

"Do what you have to do," Weiss conceded.

"I'll have to put you under," The doctor informed Neo, "I will literally be rooting around your exposed flesh until I know where to… start."

Neo nodded and laid back in the bed, hoping she would be asleep soon.

* * *

Qrow sat in Ozpin's office, his back to the elevators as he looked through the windows towards Vale. At first glance, it was easy to convince himself nothing was wrong, that nothing had changed. But little things were wrong. No airship activity. Lights not coming on in office houses. None of the hustle and bustle of a kingdom at its height.

Ozpin's desk alerted Qrow of an incoming call. He spun around and answered, curious who would call in this situation. Appearing to be sitting on the other side of the desk, the holographic image of General Ironwood lit into existence. The General must have been sitting at his own desk to make this call.

"Thank god, Oz," The General began, "I was starting to think you didn't-… Qrow? Where's Ozpin?"

"He didn't." Qrow's response was quick and sharp.

Ironwood's head dropped. "Damn it, Oz…"

"The question is, what are we going to do next?" Qrow wondered aloud.

"A better question is, who says you get to replace Oz?" Ironwood accused, pointing to the collapsed cane in Qrow's hand.

"Only you would be so arrogant to think I'm doing anything of the sort," Qrow scowled, "Get over yourself, _Jimmy_."

"Someone has to take charge," James countered.

"You've been trying to take charge since long before Oz was gone," Qrow shot back.

James scowled and attempted to backpedal, "We don't have time to squabble, Qrow."

"You're right," The aged huntsman stood and nodded, "Ozpin didn't build this brotherhood so we would fight over who gets to lead. Call back when you're ready to be an adult and talk about what's _actually important._ " With that, Qrow ended the call.

Once holo-James had vanished, Qrow spotted Glynda in the room as well. "One could argue you hanging up like that isn't very 'adult' itself," The blonde witch pointed out.

"How would you deal with him?" Qrow asked her, "He's always had a big head. It only got worse after he managed to convince the world councils his troops single-handedly saved Vale and Beacon during the attack at the 40th Vytal Festival."

"He… was the first person the councils went to for rescue operations…" Glynda admitted, "But his heart is in the right place."

"Is it?" Qrow pondered, "You could have made that argument once, but… I'm not so sure anymore."

"Why is that?" Glynda asked. "He's done nothing to provoke suspicion."

"True enough, but Oz didn't trust him as much as he used to," Qrow told her. "I don't know. Just a feeling, I suppose."

Glynda shifted her weight nervously. "We can't start fighting each other. Not now."

"I know," Qrow sighed, "We'll only win by fighting together."

"I will say this," Glynda shrugged, "You remind me of Ozpin sometimes."

"How so?"

"You always seem to know more than you let on," She replied. "For what it's worth, I think he trusted you more than he trusted anyone else."

The desk alerted them to another incoming call. Qrow sighed, "Let's get this over with." He sat back down and answered the call, Ironwood showing up yet again. "Well?"

Ironwood took a deep breath. "Other issues can wait. We need to discuss the fight ahead."

"Good," Qrow nodded.

* * *

When Neo awoke in the hospital she could already tell another day had passed. Looking out the windows, she could see the sun sitting on the eastern horizon. She had woken up at dawn. Steeling her nerves, the colorful criminal looked down at her arm to see the result of the operation. The initial tearing had been right at her wrist, and it appeared more than the 'inch and a half' had become necessary to remove. While she still retained full use of her elbow, nearly half of her remaining forearm was now gone, her arm ending at a metal cap meant to aid the installation of a cybernetic prosthetic.

Neo shook her head, trying the clear the last of the fog from the hospital drugs. It looked like her arm was in order to her, and she didn't want to stay in bed any longer than she had to. She found her feet and her coat, managing to throw the latter on. She didn't bother rolling or pinning the hanging sleeve up. Perhaps later. Or perhaps she'll get a new coat. It didn't really matter.

The girl's feet brought her naturally to the door to WBRN dorm. She noticed it was already cracked, as was many of the dorm room doors. According to the electronic locks, a master override had opened all the rooms. _For refugees, of course_ , Neo realized. She knocked on the door, now conscious of the possibility of other people in the room. The door was answered by a young woman not much older than Neo herself.

"Can I help you?" The girl asked.

Neo traced an 'x' over her lips with her finger, hoping to convey her muteness.

"You can't speak? Hold on," The girl grabbed a pencil and paper from inside.

Neo instinctively reached out with both arms, her right sleeve hanging limply long before it reached the pencil.

"Oh… um… here…" The girl held the paper against the wall, handing Neo's left hand the pencil.

It took a moment with her left hand, but Neo managed to write legibly, 'used to be my dorm Need to grab something'.

"Oh I see! Of course! Come on in," The girl opened the door the rest of the way.

Neo stepped inside and could see an entire family had stuffed themselves into the room meant for only four teenagers. "Who are you?" The mother asked.

"She was on this rooms team," The girl who had answered the door told her mother.

"It's rude to answer for other people like that," the mother scolded the daughter.

"She's mute though…" The younger girl replied softly.

Neo had already begun to ignore the family, bee-lining for the desk. She pulled the false front open on Reaper's secret fridge and began to pile the various bottles into her arms. The family's amazement at not knowing the contraband within arm's reach was also ignored as Neo picked up the glasses and left the dorm.

Neo knew where she wanted to go next. She was soon outside, walking around far corners of campus. A familiar outdoor table came into view. A table where her and Reaper had spent many a lunch before Neo turned herself in at her lover's suggestion. If there was any one place in this entire school that was theirs and just theirs, it was here. Neo sat down and set up a glass of the drink.

Her seclusion didn't last long, as before halfway through her first glass Blake slid into the seat across from her. "One for me, barkeep?"

Neo shrugged and set Blake up with a glass. The vodka was already mostly empty before they started, so it didn't take long between the two of them to finish it. Weiss eventually found the two of them, frowning at the bottle but saying nothing.

"Are you two still lucid?" Weiss asked them.

"Yes," Blake answered.

'Unfortunately,' Neo signed.

"I just finished speaking with Qrow," Weiss told them, "The General's ships are almost here. There will also be a space on the ship for us to discuss… certain things."

"Speaking of certain things…" Blake spoke up, "Do you really think we're ready for this?"

"Ozpin seemed to think so," Weiss reminded her. "Even if we aren't, how can we ignore it? Knowing what we know?"

'Can try ignoring it, for one,' Neo signed, getting her sarcasm across with the look on her face.

"No, Weiss has a point," Blake sighed, "I don't know if we're ready, but I do know that I trust Ozpin. I joined Beacon to try and balance out all my negative karma from the White Fang. I couldn't live with myself if I allowed this darkness to come, not if there's any chance I can help stop it. So why not try and save the world?"

 _Why don't you ask Pyrrha that?_ Neo grumbled, keeping her thought to herself. No use exposing someone who actually had a chance to stay out of this. _I could still stay out of this myself,_ Neo realized. _There will be a couple thousand people boarding those ships. And I'm an expert at vanishing in a crowd._

* * *

The ships were a lot larger than Neo had remembered. Then again, she really didn't have the chance to explore while breaking Torchwick out. Who was only still locked in there because of Ruby. Who, coincidentally, happened to be the same person who helped her free Torchwick later. And go on to make her happy in ways she never imagined.

Until recently, that is. She may just be up to taking this ship down in an instant if it could bring Reaper back.

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her head, however. Whatever she did next, getting out of Vale was the first step. So she filed onto the massive flagship along with everyone else. It was a curious sight to see once she was onboard. There were far too many refugees to confine to certain sections of the ship. This lead to civilians filling out sections of the ship only ever seen before by Atlas military, and interacting with military personnel.

Neo wandered aimlessly once on board, quickly ditching Weiss and Blake. Once again, she couldn't believe how much had happened in such a short time. An entire kingdom cleared out in less than a week. An absolute catastrophe where all the survivors could fit on just a few warfrieghters. _All of the survivors…_ Neo at last confronted a thought that would have kept her from even boarding if she had it just a few hours before. If Reaper was still alive somewhere, how was she supposed to get out of Vale now?

Neo shook these thoughts from her head. There was no use having them now. One of two things would be true at this point. Either Reaper was alive, and that woman was way to stubborn to die in something so small as an apocalypse. Or Reaper wasn't alive, and none of this posturing mattered.

 _She might not be alive…_ Neo finally, truly considered the harsh reality. She had to figure out what to do next without Reaper. It shouldn't have been this hard, she lived many years of her life before Reaper was a part of it. But something about Reaper being gone left a hole in her like no one else who had disappeared in her life, and she didn't know how to handle it. All she could do for now, she realized, was try to keep her mind off it. So she set about wandering once again.

Neo quickly found herself in the launch bay for the one-man fighter ships, where the massive bay doors and windows gave a clear sight of Vale below. It wasn't as crowded as other sections, and Neo busied herself watching one of the pilots work on his craft. The small girl wouldn't call herself a 'pilot' by any means, but she had flown an airship or two in her time. Although she had never flown something like this, she could pick up the basics by watching the pilot from the ladder up to the cockpit. Her jacket was strewn across the tool table nearby.

"Neo!" Weiss and Blake finally caught up with the smaller woman, the heiress calling out to her. "I feel like we're always tracking you down these past few days…"

"We should really stick together," Blake agreed with her girlfriend.

Neo sighed. Her team mates had assumed she would join them on this suicide mission against the darkness. She still saw no good reason to go with them. Then again, she still didn't see a good reason _not_ to go with them either…

Before Neo came up with a response, the entire airship rattled. Tools fell of shelves, a pilot fell off his plane a few spaces down, and Neo fell off the ladder and flat onto her ass. All eyes turned to the windows and met the sight of a flock of nevermore attacking the ship. The automated cannons were doing a lot against the smaller birds, but one Grimm was simply shrugging off the shells.

A massive nevermore that Neo marked as the same bird that attacked them previously. The damage across it's face was the same fire damage that the Maiden had caused it while saving them from the horde. It was this feathered beast that had shook the airship, flying beak-first into the starboard as if it would ram the ship out of the air.

Pilots were scrambling to their stations. The hope was that manned, concentrated fire could bring the bird down. But Neo could already see it wasn't going to be so easy. It would take something powerful. While Neo was sure this ship had something like that, anything of that size and power would take time to charge. Time they didn't have, another few good hits and the ship wouldn't have the reserve fuel to keep overclocking the stabilizers to counter the bird-butting.

Anyone else would like to say it was the thought of all the survivors that spurned them to action. That they would act out to save the ship for completely selfless reasons. But Neo wasn't anyone else, and she could at least be honest. She didn't care about the rest of them, the men and women of Vale. But she did care about two of them, and as she locked eyes with Weiss and Blake, she finally made her decision.

Neo didn't want to risk her life fighting some dark witch. She didn't care to fight in a war, and she certainly wasn't bothered about saving the world. But she would _not_ become the kind of person that would abandon her friends. She would not let them die. If they wanted to fight this war, so be it. She would join them, not because it was her goal, but because _her friends_ would need all the help they could get.

But before all of that, Neo had to do something incredibly stupid to save her friends.

Before anyone could even think to stop her, Neo had jumped into the cockpit of a nearby fighter and slammed door closed. She was already halfway through the startup sequence before anybody could climb the ladder to try and prevent her stealing it. She was dedicated to this path, and very thankful for the speed and flexibility that allowed her to operate with one hand. She wouldn't dream of _fighting_ in this thing without two, but she didn't need to worry. Her plan was far more idiotic.

She jammed the throttle to the max and gripped the stick for dear life. The engine roared to life, and she shot out of the flagship like a bullet. Neo was suddenly very conscious that she was effectively strapped inside a rocket with very touchy turning controls. It took a moment to get her bearings and straighten out after a less then graceful launch, but she sighted her target soon enough. The giant nevermore.

She flew straight at her target, which saw her and followed suit. Anyone on the ship would assume this crazy girl was playing chicken with a Grimm. And they wouldn't be as wrong as they would hope. At the last second, Neo pitched to one side and spun the right wing of the fighter straight into the left wing of the nevermore.

Neo didn't have time to assess what damage she caused the bird. She had her own bird to worry about, spiraling down after the right wing was completely torn off. She fumbled around the seat for the eject. _These ships have eject, right?_ Her fingered gripped a small handle and she pulled with all her might. After a moment of disorientation caused by feeling like a bullet shot out of a gun, Neo regained awareness of her surroundings to find she was still several hundred feet in the air and beginning to fall.

Thinking quickly, Neo eyed a spot on the ground and activated her semblance. A quick flash and she was rolling on the ground, bruised but alive. The fighter crashed into a building behind her, mostly in flames by the time it came to rest. The small girl could hardly believe she had actually survived.

The cheerful thought was interrupted when the bakery in front of her was crushed by the giant nevermore. It had a large gash in it's left wing, showing that at least that part of her plan worked. The bird could no longer take flight, and the flagship was safe. Unfortunately, she hadn't succeeded in killing it. It was very alive. It was very pissed. And it was looking right at her.

Without a weapon or a plan, Neo wasn't sure how she was going to get out of this one. She was hoping the creature would be dead, and Atlas could send a crew ship down to pick her up. But nothing could get close while the bird was still alive.

It looked like Neo wasn't going to make it out of Vale after all. _At least I didn't abandon my-_

Before she could finish her thought, Neo was surrounded by a black wind. A black wind that smelled of blood and rose petals… She found herself in a storefront out of the nevermore's reach. Caressing her cheek was a mottled hand connected to an arm with cracked skin that resembled worn red leather stretched taut over the muscle underneath.

Neo's eyes followed the damaged limb up to a half familiar face. The right side of her rescuer's face featured that same melted skin, covering her cheek and her temple while leaving her mouth and most of her nose unscathed. The left side is what really left Neo speechless. She recognized in an instant that pale skin, dark hair, and vibrant silver eye.

An oh-so familiar voice put words to exactly what Neo was thinking, "This is real… You're real… right?"


	4. The Women Without Names

When the young woman known only as Ash woke up that morning, she certainly wasn't expecting the apocalypse. It was just another day, though one where she was lucky enough to wake up with a roof over her head. The past week or so, she was living in a Hostel that only asked her for a few chores in the morning in return for a room. That room wasn't much, what with the stained carpet, broken bathroom mirror, no hot water, and bedsheets that still smelled of mildew after being washed multiple times. Still, it was better that the cardboard box in the alley she slept in last month.

Ash stretched as she stepped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. A cold shower was still better than no shower. She may look like a homeless person (She _was_ technically homeless, she reminded herself), but she didn't have to smell like one if she had access to running water. She caught herself in the mirror as she stepped into the bathroom. Dull blue eyes and short hair of a dirty silver color. She also noted she could start to feel the tip of her hair on her ears. _It's almost time for another trim._

After her shower, she got dressed into the few clothes she owned, sparing brief thought for how counter-productive to her scent wearing this same outfit was. Oh well. She'd find some sage or lavender on the waterfront and hang it inside her jacket. Her outfit may have looked halfway decent once, even of the punk aesthetic. Faded jeans, half-tied gray work boots, a button up and an overcoat so large and thick it made her look several times skinnier than she already was. The dirt, grime, and multiple tears all over defined the outfit for what it truly was, the only clothing of a person who couldn't afford more.

There was a knock at the door, making her jump. She still wasn't used to actually having a door. "Hey, you awake yet?" The voice of the owner's daughter called out through the wood. Ash panicked a little, looking toward a mug on her nightstand that was full of pens. She struggled the drawer open and threw all the pens into it, shoving the broken furniture closed before heading to the door.

"Yeah, I'm up!" Ash smiled as she opened the door.

"Mornin'," The girl smiled back, "You're up on dishes this morning. And can you help me with my math again?"

"Sure," Ash nodded, "I'm right behind you."

Ash followed the daughter toward the kitchen, jumping right on the dishes.

The woman who owned the hostel entered the kitchen next, kissing her daughter on the cheek before looking toward Ash. "Are you sure you want to wear that thing, doing the dishes?"

"I'm fine. It's not like I'm afraid to ruin it…" Ash told her. After dishes, Ash stood over the daughter and tried to help with the math homework. She didn't really know what she was looking at, but the young student did better with someone to bounce ideas off aloud.

As the daughter was packing her books back into bag, Ash found herself holding the girl's pen. A feeling swelled in her chest as she looked at the item in her hand. With a quick glance to make sure no one saw, Ash slipped the pen into her pocket. Immediately, a feeling of relief replaced the tension in her chest. Gripping the pen in her pocket felt so _good_.

"Hey, Ash, do you still have my pen?"

The woman was startled out of her moment of zen. "No, why would I?"

"That's weird, I could have sworn…" The girl looked back in her bag, under the table, even her own pockets. "How do I keep losing all my pens?"

Ash felt bad, of course. If her hosts discovered her little secret, it could cause issues. It wasn't like she stole anything _valuable_ , even if she did, it wasn't because of its value. Still, it had caused enough problems for her in the past. It was hard to hold down a job when the manager found out every third quarter obsessively found its way into her pocket instead of the register. Despite passing regrets, somewhere inside she just _couldn't_ stop.

Once her morning was done, Ash left the hostel. She needed to find something to eat, and she was stretching her host's hospitality enough.

* * *

Ash sat on a rooftops lip near the edge of Vale, a bag of donuts in hand. It had been a long day. She barely got enough money begging for food. She considered pickpocketing, but she had never been very good at it. She was also kicked out of the convenience store after they caught her on camera taking a string cheese, and she barely made it out with the donuts.

The sun had long since set, and Ash silently chomped away. She wondered, as she did every day around this time, whether she was going back to the hostel tonight. It was nice to have a bed, but she couldn't stay there forever. She didn't like spinning her wheels and going nowhere. She had to do something, _anything_ , to change things. She heard rumors that the underground was in shambles… might be the perfect time to slip in. If she couldn't hold a 'real' job, she may as well make money by-

Her thought was interrupted by an explosion. The kind of explosion she had only seen in action movies before. The shock wave rocked her backwards, onto the roof. Her head hit with the force to shock her brain. As her vision faded to black, she saw the kingdom's force field fade across the sky.

She woke up with that image still in her mind. She slowly sat up and stared back at the sky. It was hard to tell if what she saw was real. The field was designed to be transparent so people looking at the sky wouldn't think of the grimm. Her eyes panned down toward street level, and that's when she spotted the breach above the still burning ruins of the power station… "Oh my god…"

The streets themselves were chaos. Grimm flooded the streets, chasing people and wreaking havoc. A screech brought a nevermore to Ash's attention just in time to see it swooping at her. She narrowly rolled out of the way and bee-lined for the fire escape. She jumped the last few steps to street level and ran out of the alley.

The street was not the refuge she had hoped. A pack of beowolves quickly caught her scent, and she was running again. _What the hell happened!? Kingdoms are supposed to be safe!_ The grimm pushed her into another alley and she knew she couldn't run much longer. The rooftops were off limits, she was already chased off there. She could only keep going down.

The beowolves thundered down the alley. One stepped on a loose grating, catching its attention. The creature stared down the grating until a scream sounded down the alley. As the beowolf pounced off, fingers slipped through the holes in the grate and slipped it into its proper place.

* * *

Ash spent hours walking through Vale's sewers. She had no idea where she was going, but at least there were no monsters down here. She wanted to use a manhole to help get her bearings, but she was afraid to stick her head out. So, she walked further, turning at random as she reached forks. Until she noticed something strange…

The sewers had maintained a thin level of water on the floor (at least she convinced herself it was just water). Though at the moment, the squishy-sloshing had stopped. When Ash looked down, the water was gone. It had seemed to seep through dozens of cracks in the ground. Ash's eyes followed the cracks past a large iron bar security door that appeared to have blown off its hinges. "Why is a sewer tunnel locked off? What's above here?"

She stepped through the gate and followed the wreckage until she saw light through the ceiling. "I must be right under it… the blast zone…" It was hard to tell at first glance whether the ground caved into the sewer _because_ of the blast or in the mayhem following. As Ash looked closer, she saw something that distracted her from her musings. A bright red object that stood out against the gray stone and black rebar. She carefully approached to see that the object was, in fact, a bloody arm.

"Oh shit!" Ash bolted the last few steps to examine the body. This right arm appeared to have been scorched raw, with nearly every inch of skin either soaked in blood or burned to a black crisp. A latex glove seemed to have melted into the flesh. _That would be difficult to remove._ The arm disappeared under a large block of cement and rebar with the only other visible body part was this person's head. The right side of their face sported the same burn damage as their arm.

Ash didn't know what happened, but she could guess. This girl was in the middle of the explosion that took out the wall. It was a miracle she was in one piece, but there was no way she was still alive…

 _Sigh…_

The subdued sound of air passing made Ash reach her hand out in front of the mystery person's mouth.

 _Sigh…_

To Ash's amazement, the person was actually breathing. She quickly tried to life the debris off, but it proved too heavy. Ash breathed took a deep breath, setting her hands on the concrete. Calling upon her semblance allowed her access to the structure of the stone itself. She broke down the bonds and rapidly aged the concrete. It began to crumble, each broken off rock breaking further until all that was left was dust. _Ashes to ashes…_

Only rebar covered what Ash could begin to tell was a girl. It was much easier to lift on its own, and she now had the girl freed. Attempts to rouse her were futile, and Ash was beginning to wonder what she planned to do with the girl. It was probably the worst time in her life to choose to be a hero. She couldn't carry a subconscious girl across a grimm-infested city.

As if on cue, a growl came from behind her. Two more beowolves and an alpha had dropped down into the sewer behind her. "Crap, crap, crap!" Ash renewed her efforts to wake the bloodied stranger. Once shaking proved fruitless, Ash wound up her arm.

 _SLAP!_

Ash's brain didn't catch what happened next. Her next conscious thought, she was pressed into a fresh crater in the wall. Her airway was completely cut off as she was suspended solely by the bloody girl's bloody forearm against her neck. Her vision was dominated by a face half gory with messy hair and one brightly glowing red eye. She was happy there was nothing in her bladder to void.

The grimm were only slightly fazed by the speed of the event. The growls returned quickly, and that frightening red eye slowly panned to meet the beasts' gazes. One beowolf pounced, and the girl vanished. Ash fell to her knees, coughing as breath returned to her. A beowolf head landed in her field of vision with a wet _splat_ , bringing her attention back up. The scary girl was holding the spine of the now-dead grimm in her burned right hand.

The next grimm pounced, which Ash could already tell it was a bad idea. Sure enough, the girl turned on her heel and threw her left fist toward the oncoming beast. The creature skewered itself on the human limb, burying itself all the way to her shoulder. Its corpse was casually tossed off. All that was left was the girl and the alpha. Ash knew who she would put her money on at this point, if she had any.

The alpha charged, and the girl waited. When the beast was close, the girl stepped to the side and tripped the grimm. It's momentum carried it into the wall with enough force to drop more rubble from above down into the sewer. In a flash of what Ash could have sworn was rose petals, the girl was in front of the monster with her fist pulled back. Once again rubble fell from above as the punch did nothing less than obliterate the alpha's head entirely.

With the grimm gone, that terrifying eye focused back on Ash once again. The homeless girl looked for something, _anything_ , that could help. The girl kept walking slowly forward, until something that fell with the fresh rubble caught her eye. Ash traced her line of sight to a dismembered human hand on the ground.

The girl's gait transformed. Her steps to that hand were softer, her approach slower. She got down on one knee, reaching for the hand. Ash watched the girl slowly turn it over in her hand, looking at the painted nails and feeling the skin on her still-intact left-hand fingers.

The red eye faded out and became silver while her breathing became heavier. Her vision glazed over, and Ash could tell she was no longer mentally present. Her breathing only got worse. She fell to the other knee as her strength gave way. Heavy breathing turned to full hyperventilation. The dead hand fell as the strange girl's live hands gripped her head. After a few more moments, the girl finally passed out from hyperventilation and slipped back into unconsciousness.

Ash looked from the girl, to the hand, to the fading remains of the grimm, and had only one thought. "What the fuck just happened?"

* * *

Ash was watching her new… she hesitated to say friend… sleep. She had managed to carry the vicious woman into another part of the sewer with an intact ceiling. While moving her she had found a green pistol tucked into the back of her red sash, under the black cape. She only wondered for a moment why it wasn't used it against the grimm. Then she realized the girl didn't seem to have all the sharpest crayons in her basket-case in the first place.

After settling in their new location, Ash collapsed the tunnel to block them from prowling grimm. With an area they could actually stay in for a while, she built a fire to keep warm and waited. The strange girl finally stirred almost an hour later. It was hard to see her right eye properly under all the blood, but the left one was clearly a shining silver. The girl took in her surroundings, eventually settling on Ash herself. After a brief moment of thought, she finally spoke, "Did you slap me?"

"Finally awake, I see," Ash said in lieu of answering what was possibly a dangerous question.

"Yeah, I am…" The girl replied distantly. "And only me…"

Ash was confused, "Who else would be awake?"

"No one," the girl quickly replied, "What the hell happened back there?"

"That's my question," Ash smirked, "You got mister Hyde for a semblance or something?"

"Something like that," The girl shrugged. "Where are we?"

"Another part of the sewers," Ash told her. "We should be safe, I collapsed the tunnels."

"How?" The girl studied the damage.

"My semblance. Short story, I age things," Ash nodded.

"Right…" The girl nodded and got to her feet, "So what's your plan to get out of here?"

"Get out?" Ash laughed, "Are you crazy? There are _monsters_ in the streets!?"

"Because starving to death is a much better option," The girl rolled her eyes sarcastically, "Open the door, aging girl, I'm out."

"Hey, I have a name!" Ash cried.

"Congratulations. I used to have a bunch," The girl responded dryly, "What do I win? Is it a door out?"

"You're a bitch, Dr. Jekyll," Ash told her pointedly.

"Observant, mystery slapping girl," the bitch smiled condescendingly. "Look, I'm leaving one way or another. Your way is safer. Are you going to help me or not?"

Ash looked between the two collapsed 'doorways'. "What's your way?"

The girl thought for a moment. "Remember those beowolves?"

"Right…" Ash nodded. "Well, move over," She walked around the angry woman and began 'ashing' the debris she used to block the tunnel. Once a 'door' was there, the scary girl stepped through, and Ash quickly followed.

* * *

The angry girl said nothing for a surprising while, perhaps because there weren't many differing paths in a sewer. Once they got to street level, Ash noticed her companion occasionally glancing back at her.

"Okay," The girl stopped short at a street corner, "Why are you following me?"

"Should I not be?" Ash asked.

"There's no guarantee I'm safe," The girl's eyes lingered on the black grimm blood still on her hand. "Any minute I could turn around and kill you..."

Ash frowned. She wasn't sure if this woman was being serious. She definitely had the _ability_ , but if this woman was willing to kill her Ash had the feeling she would be dead already. "I think I'll take my chances."

"Really?" The woman stared at her incredulously, "Why?"

"Honestly? You scare the shit out of me," Ash told her.

"And that makes you want to follow me?" The girl raised her good eyebrow.

"Hey, scary people survive!" Ash defended, gesturing to the city around them.

After a moment of thought the girl shrugged and continued walking, no longer paying mind to her new companion.

Ash followed close behind. "So, um…" she coughed into her hand, "What do I call you?"

"Call me?" The girl questioned, "Why do you need to call me anything?"

"Because we'll be 'travelling' together?" Ash pointed out.

"No, you'll be following me," She corrected, "I'll be ignoring you, and if you get left behind, that'll be it."

"Well, I can't keep calling you 'that scary girl' in my head," Ash tried next, "So what am I supposed to call you? Jekyll?"

"That works as well as any name I've ever had," The girl nodded.

"How many names have you had?" Ash asked the girl now known to her as 'Jekyll'.

"More than my share by now, for sure," The angry girl replied off-handedly.

"How come you don't care to use one of your old ones?" Ash started feeling more comfortable the more questions Jekyll answered.

Jekyll stopped short for a moment, and by the look on her face Ash was afraid she was going to have another panic attack. Luckily, Jekyll shook it off with a short, "No one who matters is here to use them."

"Sorry…" Ash sighed, "I'm, uh… Ash, by the way…"

"Sure," Jekyll smirked.

"What?" Ash frowned.

"Hey, I'm not judging," the dark woman waved it off, "I know a thing or two about 'chosen' names."

"So it seems," Ash nodded. "We should really take care of your, um, everything."

The scorched girl looked down at her right arm, still dripping fresh blood like a trail of breadcrumbs. "Is there a hospital near here?"

"Sort of? This way," Ash took the lead and her new friend followed.


	5. Asylum

"Are you serious?"

"What? They have a fully stocked medical wing,"

"It's not that… I just… should'a known I'd end up here someday…"

Ash and the woman she had taken to calling Jekyll stepped through the gates to the High Vale Mental Health Facility. The building appeared no different from the rest of Vale. A few broken windows, a smashed door or two, and absolutely zero signs of life.

"We should take care of your burns as soon as possible," Ash told Jekyll.

"We should make sure there are no Grimm around first, and secure an area if we're going to drop our guard at all," The dark woman countered.

"Fair enough. Can I use your pistol?" Ash asked.

"…What pistol?"

"That green one on your belt?" Ash pointed to the back of Jekyll's sash.

The dark woman slowly reached back and closed a hand over the pistol grip. She was beginning to remember… _it_ had taken it… that _thing_ , the parasite…

She began to feel the same way she felt back in the sewer, back when she found Neopolitan's hand… The same images flashed through her head. She could feel the resistance as Brutal Thorn pierced Lie Ren. She could smell the blood that spilled from his chest. She was no longer standing in front of the mental hospital. It was a vivid, waking nightmare.

The scene changed and took her with it. The rubble was collapsing around them. The heat from the explosion seared her skin all over again. And yet the worst was what she saw. Neo was buried under the debris. Blood soaked the stones as they slammed down on her wrist, cutting Reaper off from seeing her lover's fate.

The tightness also returned to her chest. She tried to breath, but it was as if she forgot how. The scenes continued to replay in her head with all of the sights, smells, and sounds making it feel she truly returned to those moments in time. She couldn't escape, she couldn't breathe…

Back in the real world, Ash stared wide-eyed as Jekyll fell into a panic attack identical to the one in the sewers. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…" Taking care of her the first time wasn't exactly a cakewalk, and she needed Jekyll to clear out any grimm inside the building.

Ash took her companion by the shoulders, attempting to straighten her stance. "Don't do this to me! Listen to me, okay! Follow the sound of my voice!"

Surprisingly, Jekyll did seem vaguely aware of her. Her eyes were still glazed over and staring a thousand miles through her, but they did center somewhat toward Ash's face. Ash considered slapping her, but last time she slapped this woman, she nearly died.

"Okay…" Ash thought quickly, "Breath. Focus on something new, distract yourself. Sing! Sing, focus on the words and only the words and _sing_."

"S.. sing…?" Jekyll gasped between failed breaths.

"Focus on the words…" Ash enunciated clearly, " _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…_ "

"You… you…"

"Sing with me," Ash persisted, "feel the vibrations of the words. There are only the words. With me, now… _You are my sunshine.._ "

" _My only sunshine…_ "

Jekyll began to sing through the song, and she seemed to be calming down. She even found her breath again. When she had come back to the present, she realized she had been leaned against a tree to stay upright. "Where's the pistol?"

"I have it, you won't have to see it," Ash assured her.

The dark woman didn't have many options and conceded a "Keep it safe then."

Ash decided it was better not to pry into the history of the green pistol and why it triggered a panic attack. "Got it."

"So…" Jekyll stood up, "That sunshine trick… how did you know it would work?"

"I didn't," Ash shrugged, "But my grandfather had similar issues, and that's how he countered flashbacks. It cleared his mind, allowed him to remind himself what was real."

"Right…" Jekyll looked back to the mental hospital, "Well, We've been delayed long enough and I need to punch something. Let's go."

* * *

There was a notable lack of things to punch, which was both good news and bad news. After quickly agreeing to block off a vital corridor to give them some breathing room, they split up to search for anything the burned woman could use on her injuries.

The dark woman wasn't thrilled to be alone with her thoughts. There was an emptiness next to her that was more apparent than ever. At first she didn't want to travel with Ash, but her being there was… distracting. It distracted her from the pain. Not that Ash could _ever_ replace Neo, but if Neo really was gone…

The image of the hand came back to her. The tightness returned to her chest as well, and she stabilized herself on the wall. She saw her ice cream colored lover buried under the rubble…

As much as part of her hated it, Jekyll forced the song out of her mouth. She let the words erase the memory…

" _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy… when skies are gray… you are my sunshine…"_

The feelings passed, and the dark woman avoided thinking of Neo. Instead she thought on whatever the fuck was going on in her head now. A few thoughts were enough to topple her? _Her_!? It made her feel so weak! She had been so strong for so long, as Reaper _and_ Ember. She had been unstoppable! And she never even realized how much she enjoyed her strength until she realized how _pissed_ she was for feeling weak!

 _"FUCK!"_

She punched a hole into the wall, hoping to let out _some_ of her aggression. Her eyes slowly panned to the wall. She could have sworn she heard something on the other side… A short, high scream followed by the clattering of objects falling over. The woman made her way slowly to the nearest door and peeked in. It looked empty.

Very carefully, she took steps into the space. The thing she heard seemed human, but that wasn't exactly a comfort. This was the loony bin after all. A blur in the corner of her eye stole her attention, and she whipped around to catch the flying shape and slam it into the ground.

"What the fuck?" The figure beneath her were dressed familiarly. Black skirt, boots, and a black hooded cape? She was dressed like _her_? A weapon nearby that was dropped by her assailant was also similar, if rather… improvised. A sharp length of broken metal was haphazardly attached to a stick to form a discount scythe.

"…Reaper?"

The voice caught her off guard. It was familiar too, but in a different way. She had heard it before. So sickly sweet, like a child's…

"Mimic?" The woman asked incredulously. She sat the child up and pulled back the hood. Blue eyes stared at her in disbelief. Her hair, which was slightly longer than she remembered, was still it's natural blonde at the roots. The rest was hastily dyed black with inconsistent red highlights. "Why are you… me?"

"When Neopolitan used your scythe, it cut into my glove," Mimic answered, "I touched Brutal Thorn. And my name is Chamillia Matild."

"You know who you are? I thought you thought you were me?" The dark woman asked.

"I had a year of therapy before all this…" Mimic, _or Matild, whatever,_ told her, "Once it started though… I wanted to be strong… and you're strong… I felt safe being you…"

"Hey Jekyll, I found-" Ash stopped short in the doorway as she saw Mimic.

"Jekyll?" Mimic asked.

"Who is that?" Ash frowned.

"Not important. My burns are. What did you find?" The dark woman, changing the subject.

"What happened, anyway?" Mimic asked.

"Ash. Found. Now." The dark woman growled. Neither of the other two dared talk back to that.

"Right…" Ash spoke uneasily, "I found a bath area… this way…" Ash turned and left down the hallway.

Matild watched Reaper follow suit. She picked up her 'scythe' and ran after. That was something it didn't take the dark woman long to notice.

"What are you doing?" She accused.

Matild searched Reaper's memories for a good answer. "Surviving?" She tried.

"Go back to your doctor," Reaper deadpanned.

"He's gone…" Matild told her. "That's why I needed to be strong. To be you. But I'm not you… you are though."

The dark girl sighed. She certainly hadn't planned to gather a gaggle of misfits. She didn't really plan for anything… it all happened so fast since Ash woke her up. She had barely had time to gather her thoughts and really dissect where she was now, though it wasn't like the grimm had given her much room to breath anyway. That was half the reason they were here, to find a safe place.

A safe place…

 _She's going to follow me anyway, just like Ash…_

" _One_ warning," the dark girl spoke slowly and clearly, "I am not your mother. I'm not some huntress looking out for the weak. If you fall behind, I _will_ leave you behind."

Matild set her face and nodded, following Reaper closely.

* * *

"So I don't know how you're supposed to treat burns like that, but I figured a cool bath would be a good start. Wash off the old blood and all… draw out any heat that's left…" Ash gestured to an already filled tub.

The room that they were in had rows of tubs and sinks separated into stalls by draw curtains. She didn't see any flaws in Ash's logic, and clipped off her hood and belt. When she reached for her shoulder in an obvious play to tear off her dress, Ash suddenly turned her back. "I'm going to do perimeter stuff!" She proclaimed loudly and left the washroom.

The dark woman shook her head and felt where her dress melted into the burn. With a deep breath, she tore the latex free and dropped the destroyed dress. Matild, who was slightly less concerned with seeing Reaper naked, looked up. "Are you okay?"

"Hey kid, you wanna be useful?"

"Okay."

"Shut up," the dark woman shot, "And go find something. Clothes, food…" She looked down at the latex glove that had fused with her burned arm, "and maybe a scalpel."

Alone again, the dark woman finished undressing and lowered herself into the tub. The water was colder than she anticipated, though strangely she didn't feel the cold on her burns. She quickly realized she didn't feel anything on her burns, not even the sensation of the water. _That could be inconvenient._ Finally, for the first time since she woke up nearly a day ago now, she could relax. As the blood slowly diffused off her body, turning the water red, her thoughts turned, as one might expect, to Neopolitan.

She ran through what she knew. The power station exploded, and they were _all_ at ground zero. She herself survived, but she survived a lot of things that would kill others. She saw the rubble starting to fall when the parasite grimm Korruption turned them around to face the incoming fireball. And finally later, among the debris, she found Neo's… Neo's hand…

 _You are my sunshine… my only sunshine…_

The dark woman felt herself on the brink of another whatever-they-were, and quickly brought herself back. It was hard to form any actual theory when she could barely think on the incident without these intense flashbacks. Without being able to figure out how Neo and the others may have escaped the blast, the dark woman finally accepted what was perhaps her most dangerous thought. That they were gone.

That Neo was gone.

After another few verses of the song, she sped the process of rinsing the blood off and left the now sanguine water. She found a mirror where she could examine herself. With the blood finally gone, she could get a good look at the permanent damage. Her entire right arm, some of her torso, and nearly half her face was red and leathery. A few cracks were even started to form from how much she moved her arm around.

The burns covered her shoulder, stretching to her collarbone and barely touching the top of her right breast. They went up her neck and across her face, covering her cheek and some of her nose, though leaving her mouth completely intact. Her ear, while slightly shriveled, was still there so that was a plus. Though she wasn't sure she could still hear through it. A portion around her ear, including her temple, was also bright red. While it wasn't an even split down her face, much of the right side of her skull was now, and likely forever, hairless.

As she visually traced the edges of the burns, she passed over her right eye. The damaged skin didn't encircle it, rather more or less cut through it. But it was the middle of her eye that caught her attention. Now that she got a good look at herself without her entire right half soaked in her own blood, she noticed her right eye was a bit lighter than her left one. The once vibrant silver was faded, and her pupil seemed milky. She held her right eye open as she shut the left…

Darkness.

"Well, that's just fucking great."

Banishing the implications of that from her mind, she decided there was one more thing to investigate. An eerie silence that plagued her since Ash found her. A thought tied to how she acted when she woke up, like one of her old 'Red Hazes' that she shouldn't have to experience again…

She checked to make sure she was alone still before looking intently into the mirror. "Ember?"

…

"Ember, are you there?"

…

She leaned in slightly closer, watching herself for any veins that might be… discolored.

"Korruption?"

Still no answer. Her right eye might still have had some black veins, but it was hard to tell for sure. For the first time in a long time, she was alone in her head.


	6. Reunion

The trio had been in the Asylum for a few days now, which suited Ash just fine. They were safe here, and it wouldn't be hard to survive for a long while. That's not to say she wasn't concerned. It was concern that brought her to Jekyll that morning. Ash found her in the garden, accompanied by the little girl they had picked up, Chamillia.

The dark woman had changed her clothing the first day here. The gear she was wearing in the explosion had barely been holding up anyway. Now she was dressed in a mix-and-match of clothing from employee lockers. Jeans, a tank top, and a long sleeveless coat. All black, of course. The boots, cape, and red sash from her previous outfit had mostly survived, with only a portion of the cape burned away. Her burned armed also sported a bandage on her hand and forearm, where she had literally cut off the fused glove with a scalpel.

Jekyll and Chamillia were sitting on a bench. Jekyll was deep in thought and the girl was busying herself taking the dark woman's overgrown hair and braiding the back. The bangs were left alone, hanging over the left side of her face. Where some would sweep their hair to hide the damage, Jekyll didn't seem to mind leaving it exposed for all to see.

"Hey there," Ash called out, "I couldn't find you earlier. Thought you bailed."

"I did leave the asylum," The nameless girl confessed, "Found the blast site."

"You went to the breach?" Ash was shocked.

"And guess what I found?" The dark woman continued. "Nothing. No bodies. No blood, at least not where my team was standing. No evidence that they're gone."

"Except for the whole severed body part bit…" Ash mumbled.

Ash never saw Jekyll stand. She only felt a hand close around her throat as she was slammed into a nearby tree, and saw a menacing glare staring back at her. "She. Is. Not. Gone." Ash was let go and the nameless woman strode away. "She can't be."

"Why not?" Ash questioned.

"Because she is the last thing I have left," The dark woman began softly. "Everything I have ever tried to do turned out one of two ways. Bad, or worse. I try to be a huntress, my sister dies. I try to handle her semblance, more people die. I try to be a criminal, since people are dying anyway, and I get convinced to turn in my boss and arrest myself. I try to be a huntress again, and surprise! An entire fucking _kingdom_ goes to shit!"

"Oh my god…" Ash's gasped to herself.

"All my 'friends' barely even like me," The girl continued, "The only friend that actually _did_ like me probably resents me now, and _she_ is the only - _why are staring at me like that!?_ "

"I knew it… You're the Reaper," Ash realized in astonishment.

"'The' Reaper?" the dark woman asked. She kind of liked how that sounded…

"I didn't even think you were real until the trial," Ash explained, "You were why no one challenged Roman. You may have been a rumor, but you were a powerful one. The shadow accountant, old lady Magenta, the Wine brothers? You didn't mess with Torchwick, else you met his Reaper. And no one who met the Reaper lived to talk about it."

"It's strange, the kind of things you don't hear about yourself…" 'The' Reaper shook her head.

"So…" Ash let herself get past the feeling of standing in front of a semi-famous death dealer, "You plan to leave the asylum?"

"Did you plan to stay here forever?" the Reaper scoffed, "That's stupid no matter how you cut it."

"But leaving in the middle of a grimm-infestation-super-crisis?" Ash pointed out.

"You think there's going to be better time to leave? Or do you plan to live a long life in _here_?" The killer woman gestured to the Asylum.

Ash bit her lip in thought, keeping one eye on Jekyll, or Reaper, or whatever her real name might be. "So what _is_ your plan?"

Reaper sat back down next to the little girl and let her finish the braid. "If the others survived, chances are they would head for Beacon. The school would certainly spearhead any rescue and evacuation efforts."

"That's on the other side of the city..." Ash pointed out, "Trying to cross Vale while avoiding the grimm, it might take more than a day."

The dark woman stood, examining her new braid before tossing it back over her shoulder to hang down her back. "Then I guess we better... get... going."

"Jekyll?" Ash called the woman out by the name she knew out of instinct. The dark woman was staring up into the sky, and Ash followed her gaze to a massive airship descending from the cloud line. "Wow."

"Ironwood's flagship," The dark woman recognized it, "It must be here for refugees."

"Wait, what direction is Beacon again?" Chamillia asked.

"The direction that ship is heading," Reaper told her.

"Then let's hurry after it!" Chamillia picked up her makeshift scythe and rushed to Reaper's side.

"Little bit of a rush, kid?" Ash called out.

"What?" Chamillia shrugged and gestured to Reaper, "I don't want to 'fall behind'." _or get left behind._

The dark woman rolled her eyes at the statement. "Just keep up then, Mimic."

"Hey!" The little girl shot, "Just because you two don't have real names doesn't mean you can't use mine."

"Whatever, Chamillia," Reaper waved her off and set off for the city.

Chamillia was slightly in shock at Reaper using her real name so quickly, standing dumbfounded.

The dark woman noticed the little girl had stopped moving, "Well? I thought you didn't want to fall behind."

Chamillia shook herself off and ran back to Reaper's side, following her and Ash toward the airship.

* * *

The asylum trio watched helplessly from a nearby rooftop as the flagship was attacked by the massive nevermore. Reaper was still trying to figure out how to get up there when a rouge kamikaze fighter took down the bird. A familiar looking flash of light caught her eye. She quickly threw her gaze down to the ground, and found what she was looking for. The pink and brown hair was unmistakable, even from this distance.

Time slowed. The grounded nevermore reared to attack its assaulter. The dark woman leapt from the rooftop, leaving rose petals in her wake. Her legs screamed at her as her feet slammed the pavement, but she ignored it. She pushed forward, the wind stinging her eye, and closed the distance between her and her goal in an instant. Scooping the girl into her arms, Reaper continued to shoot forward until they were safe in a nearby storefront. There the two women could finally share a moment.

"This is real…" Reaper asked, holding Neopolitan's head in her damaged hand. After the events of the past week, it was surreal to be this close to the one person she felt made anything worth it. "You're real… right?"

Neo couldn't hold back. Her answer was undeniable as their lips pressed together after what felt like an eternity apart. They were both real, and they were here, together, at last.

Their elation was cut short by the screeching of the nevermore. The flagship was safe, but they couldn't send down a crew carrier for them while the bird was still there. As much as Reaper wanted to stay there forever at the moment, the nevermore _needed_ to go. She scanned the area for a plan. "You flew that jet right?"

Neo nodded.

"Looks like a missile is still intact. Think you could fire it?"

Neo nodded a bit slower. _How will we make sure we hit the bird?_

"Alright. I picked up a few stragglers that could help us here," Reaper explained, "I'll get the bird in front of that rocket."

Neo had no idea what was going to happen, but she trusted Reaper. A strange feeling tugged at Reaper's face. One that felt foreign to her at this point but was exactly what Neo needed to see. A large, cocky grin. "See you on the other side, ice cream cup." Neo and Reaper split, the former vanishing and the latter using her semblance to get back up to Ash and Chamillia.

"You want to get the fuck out of this kingdom?" Reaper asked Ash the moment she reached her.

Ash was still processing everything she had just seen. "Um… Yes?"

"Then listen close, and wait for your moment," Reaper ordered her before looking at her other straggler. "Sorry, but I need this," The dark woman took Chamillia's scythe out of her hand.

The nevermore didn't have to wait long for new prey. Just as it was about to give up looking for where the first human vanished, a second human appeared in front of it. The new human had a lot of black clothing and weird red skin. No matter, one human was as squishy as the next. This shouldn't take long.

Reaper smirked, seeing this grim display the same self-assured confidence as the rest of its kind. She easily dodged attacks from both the uninjured wing and the creature's beak. A few counter-punches here and there were more than enough to keep it interested as she guided the beast between two structures already nearing collapse from the nevermore's initial crash.

It was in one of these structures Ash was waiting. A few key points keeping it up simply needed to go away, and she was perfect for this job. Neo spotted someone she didn't recognize dashing out from under a broken building that had started to tilt over the shadow avian. It struck the other structure and both crumbled into rubble, pinning the nevermore in the direct path of the missile.

But the bird's hide was still incredibly tough, and Reaper had just the plan. She tore the bandages off her arm and attached one end to the handle of the homemade scythe. The nevermore continued to screech at her, either from anger or pain. _Do grimm feel pain? Does that even matter?_ Reaper began to twirl her new 'chain-scythe' by the bandage picking her moment carefully. The nevermore opened its beak wide once more, and Reaper acted. She spun and slammed the sickle through the lower beak and into the pavement, pinning it to the ground.

With a grip on the (thankfully) long bandage, Reaper ran up and over the beast's head and back through its open maw, wrapping the bandage around the upper beak. Utilizing her semblances, she jumped up and down the nevermore's back. She landed on the rubble keeping it down and pulled on the bandage, forcing the monster's beak wide open. Neo knew this was it and fired the missile right away. It flew, just as Reaper planned, down the nevermore's throat and detonated inside. The bird's skin held true, and it wasn't blown to pieces. Still, the creature grew silent as smoke poured out of its mouth.

Reaper was laid out on the rubble after the explosion snapped the bandage. She found her feet again and hopped down to retrieve Chamilia's scythe. Raising the nevermore's closed beak revealed just the blade with no handle. Reaper dropped the beak with a "Whoops." Not that _that_ scythe was worth keeping. She was actually almost disappointed, considering Mimic should share her skills, or at least the memory of them. But no matter, there was something more important here. And Ash was already helping her out of the jet.

Since Ash was close to the jet when the dust settled, she decided to meet this new girl. It didn't take long for Ash to climb up the right side of the jet and hold out her right hand. One look at the small woman in the cockpit made her realize two things. One, trying to pull this girl out by her right hand was an embarrassing mistake. Two, "That hand was yours, wasn't it?"

Before Neo could begin to mime an inquiry, she was pulled out of the jet from the other side and found herself in the arms of her dark lover. Once Neo had her bearings, she returned the gesture earnestly.

Ash watched them embrace, growing more uncomfortable as the silence continued. "So," she finally broke it, "this is ' _her_ '?"

Reaper jumped slightly, forgetting there were others here. "Neo, Ash, Ash, Neo," She apathetically gestured between the two girls, introducing them. "Ash is one of two little ducklings that began following me around Vale for… whatever reason."

Neo began looking around for the second 'duckling', spotting a small girl in black. "The other," Reaper continued, "We know already."

Neo examined the black hood, realizing the attire seemed familiar. She looked back to Reaper, then to the girl, and finally back to Reaper with realization in her eyes. "Yeah, her."

Chamillia stepped forward, trying and failing to meet Neo's eye. "I'm sorry for what I was doing as you," She apologized, "I'm not in great control of my semblance…"

Neo would have time to wrap her head around these things later. A crew carrier arrived at that moment to bring them up to the airship. When they turned to face the pod, Reaper instinctually reached out with her left hand to grab Neo's right. Her fist grabbed open air, and something she had been ignoring crashed into the front of her mind. Her gaze slowly panned down to the arm, and to the metal cap protecting the stub where her forearm used to be.

"Oh shit, not again," Ash watched Reaper begin to fall into a panic attack.

 _Again?_ Neo's concern was clear as Reaper's breath quickened.

The flashbacks were strong this time, even showing things Reaper knows she didn't see. _The rubble falls. Lie Ren is stabbed by Brutal Thorn. The rocks smash Neo's hand clean off. JNPR cries over their friends corpse. The words… I need to focus on the words… I can't…_

Reaper felt the darkness coming when she felt something that wasn't a part of the flashbacks. A pair of soft, familiar lips on her own. The flashbacks melted away as the kiss helped banish them, waking Reaper up. Neo could tell when Reaper's senses returned to her by her dark lover becoming active in their kiss. When they pulled apart and Reaper opened her eyes, she noticed they were already on the crew carrier and halfway to the ship.

Neo pulled Reaper's ear, bringing her gaze back to the colorful girl. Neo's glare made it clear she wanted an explanation.

"Yeah… I guess we have some catching up to do," Reaper nodded, "But later, okay? Once we're settled on the ship?"

Neo frowned and reluctantly nodded.

Reaper made this decision because she was sure things would get awkward once they got on the airship, and she was not wrong. Weiss and Blake were in front of the crowd waiting for the crew carrier to come back. They knew Neo would be onboard, but they couldn't tell who the other three dots that got on the carrier were. They were certainly surprised when the doors opened and they saw a tall, dark, and half-charred former team mate.

"Reaper?" Blake voice was disbelief, "You survived?"

"Mostly," Reaper answered, stepping off the carrier. In flash of silver, Myrtenaster's point was an inch from Reaper's throat. "Hello, Weiss, good to see you too."

"You destroyed Vale," Weiss whispered so only Reaper, Blake and Neo could hear.

"Korruption destroyed Vale," Reaper corrected, "It just happened to use my hands."

"'Korruption'? The parasite? How do I know you're not still 'Korruption'?" Weiss interrogated.

"Oh look, the princess doubts my intentions," Reaper spouted sarcastically. "That's fucking new."

"That doesn't answer my question," Weiss deadpanned through gritted teeth.

"What if I am? You're going to start a fight here?" Reaper challenged.

Neo jumped between the two, pushing Myrtenaster down and glaring at them both. The crowd around them had become anxious, and while Weiss wanted to continue this conversation, she agreed it should be done in private. Weiss put away her rapier with one last comment to Reaper, "Until I'm sure, I am _not_ letting you out of my sight."

Reaper sighed. It was going to be a long flight to Atlas.

* * *

A long-distance commercial flight arrived in Atlas as the sky turned to dusk. Of the many passengers stepping off, one in particular was a young boy who was still surprised at the sequence of events that brought him here.

"Are you sure they'll be here?" He asked quietly so others wouldn't hear him speaking to himself.

 _Of course. This is the logical place for Qrow to lead them._

"And are you _sure_ they're going to recognize you?"

 _The others, not likely. But Qrow will know. Lighten up, Ocsar._

"I have an immortal wizard in my head, Ozpin. How would you handle that?"

 _I did have to handle it once. And believe or not, I fared worse than you. I'm impressed, truth be told._

"Hey kid!" A stranger yelled at him. "You got a brain issue or something!?"

Oscar quickly shut up and set off toward the city. Just a few days ago, he was a normal farm boy with nothing but a normal life ahead of him. Now his entire world was flipped upside down and his only hope was that the voice in his head was truly what it claimed.

 _Don't worry, they'll be here._

"I'm starting to doubt you're not telling that to _yourself_."

Ozpin was silent.

Oscar sighed. It was going to be a long wait for Qrow.

* * *

 **The girls have made it out of Vale, and Act 1 comes to a close! Don't forget to check out my social medias (Tumblr, Instagram) for any news or updates for Act 2, which I will begin writing soon. Though the _best_ way to support this story is still to follow, favorite, and/or review right here! I hope to see you all and more when this story returns as the girls regroup and form plans for the fight ahead!**

 **\- Vengfulfate**


	7. Reunion, Pt 2

**Well here we are... hopefully it's worth the wait for those of you that are waiting. Bit of a change here, because I haven't actually finished writing this act. I'm close, though, and you guys have been waiting long enough. I have 5 chapters ready, and if I can't finish another chapter or two in five weeks then what am I even doing? I'll be deleting the 'news updates' soon as well. I say this because I don't know how that will affect chapter alerts, so just be aware.**

 **Another thing I have to say, is that I spent a long time debating whether or not to include info from volume 6 in this story, and I eventually decided against it. As long as it's taking me to write this, I _do_ have a good idea where the story is going. I've been planning this tale for a long time, and was excited to write things that new lore from volume 6 started to directly contradict. So I decided not to worry about whether things are 'wrong', and write the story I want to write.**

 **Without further ado, please, at last, read, follow, review, and most importantly enjoy!**

* * *

Act 2

Gathering Strength

The desert outside of Vacuo was a vast, terrible thing. A void of nothing with villages sporadically placed wherever there was water to be welled from underground, as well as a large tropical oasis owned privately by the Kingdom of Vacuo. Between those small havens of safety, the desert was harsh and unforgiving, with heat reaching degrees that could overheat even a grimm. Almost no being on Remnant could survive extended periods in the middle of the desert.

Almost. But then, that was one of the many benefits afforded to the Summer maiden.

Atop a dune somewhere between three outskirt villages sat a dark-skinned woman dressed lightly in white. It was easy for to hide out in the desert when, to her, there was no difference between here and an air-conditioned house. It was also incredibly easy to get a tan. The summer maiden took a drink from her canteen and crossed her legs. As she began to meditate, the sand shifted beneath her, and she rose into the air.

"Must be warm today," The maiden noted, having noticed white shimmering in the distance before closing her eyes.

In that distance, outside of the maiden's earshot, a brown dressed man was complaining to his pale companion, "How can _anyone_ stand this heat!?"

"Says the scorpion faunus," His companion noted sarcastically, "Aren't they supposed to be desert creatures, Tyrian?"

"Not _this_ desert," Tyrian Callows, the scorpion faunus, shook his head, "There aren't even any bones around here, because _nothing_ can even survive far enough to die here! Even you are looking decidedly pink."

His companion, Leid Kale, frowned. Her complexion was generally stark white, but the desert was starting to get to her as well. "Don't worry. The trip back will be much easier."

"I hope so. Why isn't painless here? Wasn't he supposed to be here?" Tyrian referred to their other ally, Hazel Rainart, a very large man whose semblance allowed him to ignore pain.

"He won't be necessary here," Kale explained, "In fact, if all goes well, your own presence should be redundant. Besides, he does worse in the desert than you do. The inability to feel discomfort is not the boon you might think in this situation."

The summer maiden finally heard people approaching and set herself down quickly. She stood slowly, mentally preparing herself for anything. Including a fight. The newcomers came closer, and the maiden could more easily figure them out. Well, the scorpion faunus she could figure anyway. The other seemed to almost disappear when she wasn't looking right at her. She knew the woman was there, but there was nothing about her to remember.

"Can I help you?" The summer maiden called out, "Some water perhaps? You are pretty deep into the desert…"

"You can help us, in fact," Kale spoke up as she approached the maiden. The blank woman reached up to remove her sunglasses and stared the maiden in the eye.

The summer maiden was immediately captured by the swirling color phantasmagoria of Leid Kale's eyes. Everything she was and feared melted away as Kale turned up her semblance. She was truly content and couldn't tear herself away if she tried. Not that she wanted to try.

Kale smiled. It all came together perfectly. She slipped on a long white glove given to her by the Grimm queen and readied herself for what came next. A little portal opened in the palm, a Grimm insect crawling out of it. Kale aimed her palm at the maiden, and the bug shot a thick, black web. The powers of the glove reached into the very soul of the summer maiden and began to extract.

Even the power of Kale's semblance could not keep the summer maiden from feeling the pain of having her soul torn apart and ripped away. But by the time she began screaming, it was already too late. The transfer of power had begun, and they were alone in the desert. There would be no one to stop it this time.

* * *

Weiss all but shoved Reaper into the closest, unoccupied cabin. Blake, Neo and Chamillia followed them in. After they had all piled into the room, Weiss promptly locked the door behind them. Reaper watched the display next to the door turn red, rolling her eyes. "Wow, Weiss, I'm flattered you'd want to lock yourself in a room with me, but we kind of have an audience…" Reaper snarked with flat, half-hearted sarcasm.

"Quiet!" Weiss was in no mood for Reaper's shit, drawing Myrtenaster once more. "The last time we saw you, you blew a hole in Vale's wall!"

"Wait, what?" Chamillia didn't know what she expected to hear in this little meeting, but it certainly wasn't that.

"To be fair, I was under the influence of a Grimm parasite at the time," Reaper countered.

"Wait, _what_!?" Or that either.

"And how do I know you aren't still?" Weiss accused.

"Maybe I am?" she teased, taking slow steps toward Weiss. The tip of Myrtenaster began to shake, until Reaper walked right into it, pressing the tip against her chest. "What do you think?" the dark woman frowned.

Weiss found herself staring into Reaper's eyes. From the bright silver, to faded blind eye. They looked like Grimm eyes before… perhaps Reaper _is_ Reaper. But she still didn't lower her rapier. "I… don't know…" Weiss admitted.

Reaper grabbed Myrtenaster's blade and shoved it down. "You know, I didn't have to save this ship, Weiss."

"This ship isn't what you were saving," Blake pointed out, "We all know it."

"Fair enough," Reaper shrugged, turning away from Weiss toward Neo.

"This doesn't mean you're in the clear," Weiss sheathed her sword, "Until I'm sure one way or the other, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Whatever…" Reaper waved her off and sat next to Neo on one of the beds in the room.

Blake frowned at the exchange. Before the silence became awkward, Blake spoke up, "Reaper, were you… aware while the parasite had you?"

"Why?" Reaper responded.

"Because maybe you saw something that can help us," Blake explained.

Reaper looked genuinely confused. "Help with what?"

"Fighting back, of course," Weiss crossed her arms, "Against Salem."

"You mean the human shaped Grimm in the black castle surrounding by the monsters _she_ _can control_?" Reaper seemed shocked, "And you want to _fight_ her!?"

"You saw Salem?" Blake picked up, "You know where she is?"

"I could point out the continent on a map, but if you actually want to survive the journey and head straight to her? No, I don't."

"So what, you were only aware half the time?" Weiss asked, clearly not believing the dark woman.

"I'm sorry if I was a little occupied trying to find a way to _take back control of my fucking body_ to keep an eye on Korruption's every action," Reaper spat venomously.

"Did you at least learn anything about what Salem knows about the maidens and the relics?" Blake asked.

"The what and the what?" Reaper responded blankly.

"Oh, for fucks sake…" Weiss's rare curse showed just how tired she was.

"Looks like we have some things to catch you up on…" Blake volunteered herself to fill Reaper in.

A few moments earlier, Ash had made her way over to the door she saw the Schnee girl push Reaper behind. She wouldn't say she had befriended Reaper and didn't think she would continue to tag along with the angry woman and her angry friends. So, she figured she would return the green pistol. She held it in one hand, wrapped in cloth so the sight of it didn't set off another panic attack when Reaper saw it.

Ash arrived at the door, slightly nervous about interacting with the people on the other side. She saw that the door was locked and raised her fist to knock. Hearing the voices coming from inside made her hesitate. _What are they discussing behind locked doors?_ Curiosity got the better of Ash, and she held her ear to the door.

The more she listened, the more she wished she had never started to.

* * *

Winter sat at a desk in the captain's quarters, pen to paperwork as she waited for Qrow. She was sure he was helping people settle in for the flight before coming up. They had the entire flight to speak, after all. Whatever his faults, Winter could at least admit Qrow cared for people.

She finished the last of the paperwork, and as if on cue, the door opened the moment she set the pen down. "There you are," she greeted the grayed huntsman.

"Yeah," was all Qrow offered in greeting, "You wanted to talk?"

"Not exactly," Winter stood up. Where she had been sitting lit up with a hologram of General Ironwood.

"Jimmy," Qrow greeted, "Shoulda guessed."

"Hello, Qrow," Ironwood nodded.

"What do we have to talk about that we didn't cover a few days ago?" Qrow asked.

"How about we start with the fact that you've decided to include a group of school children?" Ironwood accused, "Specialist Schnee ran into her sister at the halls of Beacon and was able to discern that they're working with you and know more than they should."

"They're not 'school children'," Qrow defended, "After everything they've been through and how close they were to finishing their fourth year, they might as well be graduated huntresses."

"If you needed bodies to fight alongside you, I have an army," The general offered.

"It was Oz's call to bring them in," Qrow told Ironwood, "We don't need an army, James. What we need is a tight group of specialists. Even if we wanted to use your army, sending groups of soldiers on secret missions all over Remnant will attract unwanted attention, and not just from our enemy. The Vytal Council would ask questions we can't afford to have answered. There's a reason we fight this fight in the shadows, I hope your smart enough to remember that."

"I thought you said Ozpin had fallen?" Ironwood accused.

"The last thing he told Weiss was to tell me they're ready," Qrow explained, "Then he stayed behind to try and stop the wall from going up. Which we all know, didn't work."

"The more we go over this, the more I feel like I'm being side-lined," Ironwood confessed, "Do you even want me in this fight?"

"Listen, general…" Qrow tried to sound reassuring, "No one can deny your resources would be helpful. But the fact is you're just too public to help us in the ways you're trying. What you _can_ do, is what we discussed last time. Use your spy network that already exists and track down the summer and fall maidens. And most importantly, keep the winter maiden safe until we need her."

Ironwood went silent in thought. "Very well…" he finally conceded, "However, at least take Winter, as in Specialist Schnee, with you."

"Sir?" Winter asked.

"You and Ozpin assured me that I have equal say in our partnership," Ironwood explained, "I simply want to contribute. Specialist Schnee has never taken holiday nor sick day. She has her vacation hours stacked up, and no one would pay any attention to what she did in her own time. She's worth several of any squadron on her own, and I'm sure she would appreciate being able to watch her sister's back."

Qrow looked to Winter, and thought of Reaper.

Ironwood waited for Qrow's silence to end, but the longer it took, the more suspicious he got. "I _am_ an equal partner in this, right?" he finally accused.

"It's not that!" Qrow quickly assured, "There's just a matter of team cohesiveness."

"What does that mean?" Winter crossed her arms.

"It means there's something you should know before doing this," Qrow took a deep breath. He did not anticipate his next words to be met politely. "Reaper is back with us."

"You're saying that _criminal_ has returned, unsupervised, to the presence of my little sister…?" Winter all but growled, her emotion bleeding through beyond her control. "If that's the case, then I apologize, General Ironwood, but I must insist upon that 'vacation time'."

Ironwood did seem slightly taken aback by Winter's slight loss of emotional control. On the other hand, given the situation, he could understand. And besides, "I agree with Specialist Schnee. I don't trust Reaper as easily as Ozpin had."

"Right…" Qrow's shoulders slumped under the weight of this added stress already. "Welcome aboard, Ice Queen. I better warn the team you're joining us." Qrow turned to leave before turning back around with an idea, "Oh, James, since we're being cooperative and all… One of our team needs a new hand, and we may also need a few new weapons."

Ironwood frowned before giving a resigned sigh, "Very well. Winter will have to come in to fill out the official paperwork for her 'vacation' anyways, just bring them along and I'll have them escorted to the labs."

"Thank you, General," Qrow decided not to test his luck and responded cordially. Now for the hard part… convincing Reaper to play nice once Winter joined them proper.

* * *

The information Ash heard through the door was strange and frightening. Yet, she couldn't pull away. After you hear about maidens with magical power over nature itself, it's hard to not be curious of the full story. It was only because of how her ear was pressed against the door that the saw the indicator next to it change colors, showing it had been unlocked. She jumped back just in time for Weiss to open the door, scroll in hand.

"You?" Weiss asked, not knowing Ash's name, "How long have you been there?"

"Not long. Why, what are you talking about in there?" Ash feigned interest, hoping it would reinforce her lie.

"Nothing," Weiss brushed off. "What are you here for?"

 _Oh shit!_ Ash had nearly forgotten after her eavesdropping. "Right, Reaper gave me something to hold on to down in Vale," she pulled the pistol out of her jacket, wrapped in cloth so Reaper didn't have to see it directly. "I was just returning it."

Weiss took the item, feeling it out in her hand. "Is this…?"

"I'm not sure what it is," Ash informed her, "But she had a panic attack when she looked at it. That's why I had it."

"Panic attack?" Weiss asked. She shrugged and walked back inside the room, her buzzing scroll already forgotten.

Ash turned and walked away, quickly. Could what she heard them talking about possibly be the truth? A Grimm Witch hunting magical maidens and relics left by gods? _No! Stop thinking about that!_ she tried to tell herself. She didn't want to be involved, but something inside her wasn't letting what she heard go so easily. _As if something like that is something one could so easily forget to begin with…_

Back in the cabin, Weiss turned to Reaper, "Your friend from Vale dropped something off for you. And she said something about a panic attack?"

Neo frowned and turned her head to face Reaper as well, hoping she would answer.

"You mean Ash?" Reaper asked, staring down the package.

"Is that her name?" Weiss nodded. Reaper stood up and took the cloth wrapped object in hand. "Is that what I think it is?"

Reaper took a deep breath, trying not to focus on what was inside the wrap. She could feel the memories scratching at the back of her brain, threatening to surface and consume her mind once again.

Blake saw Reaper's posture soften. She wasn't as skeptical as Weiss, she believed Reaper was Reaper. This news about panic attacks made her worry for her friend. "Reaper?" she reached out.

It brought Reaper back. Her face hardened, and she shrugged Blake's hand away. She was sick of this feeling, she was sick of being weak. She had to take care of this. _I have to confront this head on… I have to go to Nora, even if it's only for my own sake._ "Where's JNPR?"


	8. Moving on, moving forward

**AN/ I have been informed that the deletion of the news update chapters may result in an inability to leave a review on this chapter if you left one on the original 'News Update' That used to occupy the chapter 8 slot. This may also be true for the next, as I had two 'News Updates' to delete. I did not foresee this issue, and I apologize to my regular reviewers. I hope to still see you the next time you're able to leave reviews!**

 **\- Vengfulfate**

* * *

In another cabin of the ship, the three member of the former team JNPR resided in silence. Nora was sitting on the bed, no longer crying but not doing anything else either. Pyrrha sat beside her, not speaking but keeping a hand on her friend's shoulder, keeping her company. Jaune figured three would be a crowd, and Nora didn't need two people trying to comfort her. The blond knight stood against the opposite wall, leaning near the door.

 _Knock knock_

Jaune's eyes turned to the door.

"Who's come to visit _us_?" Pyrrha asked.

"Maybe we're using a cabin that already belonged to someone," Jaune theorized, reaching to open the door.

They almost didn't recognize who was on the other side. With a tattered cape, dirty clothing, and blanket of fresh burn scars, Reaper looked a far cry from how she was just days before. The dark woman's eyes were screwed shut, and she was trying hard to control her breathing. She was holding something in her hand hard enough for her entire arm to shake. Neo was standing behind her, staring at her in worry.

"Reaper?" Jaune was too taken aback by the sight in front of him to be immediately angry.

Nora had no such reservations. No sooner had the name left Jaune's lips, than a flash of pink sent Reaper to the ground with a loaded fist to her jaw. "Who the hell do you think you are!" Nora shouted, eyes red from having already cried all her tears. "What right do you have to come here!? I should… I should…!"

Reaper struggled to her knees. The entire walk here, she had to fight back the flashbacks. It was half the reason the dark woman was doing this in the first place. She figured if she confronted her condition directly, she could finally put it to bed. They were still there, scratching at the back of her mind. And she hated it.

Reaper spit. A cheek-full of blood stained the pristine floor. "Good punch…"

"Why are you here?" Nora ask, her fist raised once more. Reaper didn't respond. "Answer me!" There was still no response. "Reaper…?" Nora's voice was a little softer. The dark woman seemed to have taken leave of her mind. The pink terror followed her blank stare to an object on the ground nearby. The green barrel and blade of Ren's pistol was poking out of a cloth wrap.

The inside of Reaper's mind was turmoil. It seemed Ash's precaution had been appropriate. One look at the weapon had broken the last of Reaper's defenses against herself. In her mind, she was no longer on the Atlas ship. She was back in Beacon, at the bottom of Ozpin's elevator.

 ** _Tell me how it feels… The darkness… the cold… let me hear it all…_**

 _I'm sorry, Reaper… I tried… my best…_

 ** _I think I'll give you a chance to see your friends again._** ** _Their hope at seeing you… then realizing they can do_** ** _nothing_** ** _but watch as you fade away…_**

"R-Reaper?" Nora lowered her fist.

This is what Neo was afraid of. She knelt down next to her dark lover, wrapping her arms around her and doing everything in her power to bring Reaper back. The physical contact was enough for Reaper to begin singing softly to herself. It took about a minute for the dark woman to close her eyes and take a deep breath, the flashbacks successfully staved off.

Reaper stood slowly, using the wall across from JNPR's cabin for support. She ran her free hand down her face. When these panic attacks started, she was confused. Then, she had become angry at them. At this point, now, she was just tired. They didn't seem to be getting any less intense, let alone going away entirely.

"To answer your question," Reaper addressed Nora without turning to face her, "I came here to return _that_ ," she gestured behind her, vaguely in the direction of Ren's pistol. After which she began to walk away.

"That's it?" Jaune shouted after her, "That's all you have to say!?"

Reaper stopped walking, but didn't turn around. "Can words change your mind? Change what's happened?"

"So you _don't_ have anything to say…" Jaune clenched his fist. "You're not even going to try?"

"The past few years may have put a lot of blood on my hands." Reaper finally turned her head to bring her glare to the blond knight, "But if you really think that I would _ever_ hurt a friend on purpose, then _fuck you_. Hate me all you want if it makes you feel better, Vomit Boy. I don't care what you think about me."

Reaper resumed walking away. Jaune's anger rose, and he reached for his sword. "Jaune!" Pyrrha quickly clasped her hands around the blond knights, holding them on his sheathed blade and keeping it from being drawn.

"She just gets to walk away?" Jaune growled. Pyrrha shoved Jaune back into the cabin, trying to calm him down and keep him from going after Reaper.

Nora was left in the corridor, staring at the green pistol on the ground. She slowly bent down to pick it up, feeling the familiar metal in her hands. Her mind thought over the situation that had just transpired, and her gaze fell down the hallway Reaper had exited.

Neo followed Reaper around the corner and watched the dark woman slump against the wall and slide down until she was sitting. She looked over her dark lover in concern. "Go ahead, Neo," Reaper gestured down the hall with her head, "I'll catch up. I just need to take a break. It's been a long week…"

Neo frowned and sat down next to Reaper. "I'll be fine, Neo, I promise. I'll be right behind you." Neo only shook her head. Reaper sighed, leaning her head back against the wall.

Nora appeared from around the corner, holding Ren's pistol in one hand. Reaper immediately averted her eyes from the weapon. Nora noticed, and her expression softened. "Are... are you okay?"

The question surprised Reaper. After everything, she expected Nora to shoot her before she ever talked to her again. "When have I ever been okay?" The dark woman tried to deflect.

Nora wasn't having it. "What happened back there?"

Neo looked to Reaper expectantly. She had been hoping for an answer since the panic attack after the nevermore.

Reaper rested her head in her hand. _How am I going to get through this without another episode?_ Almost like she could sense Reaper's strife, Neo placed her hand on her dark lover's shoulder and gave a reassuring nod.

Reaper sighed, resigning to this fate. "I didn't kill Ren," she began, "but… it was my hands that… did."

Nora's grip on Ren's pistol tightened.

"I can't explain how," Reaper continued, "not without dragging you into a giant mess of bullshit you'd be better off staying far away from. I wasn't in control. I saw everything through my own eyes, f-felt it… all…" Reaper screwed her eyes shut. If it wasn't for Neo's contact, she would have already been lost to the flashbacks. "And I can't get the image out of my head. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I t-try…" Reaper's breathing had gotten heavy, and she had to stop and fight to stay in the present.

Nora didn't know what she expected out of this confrontation, but it certainly wasn't seeing Reaper shed tears. The pink girl sat against the wall opposite the dark woman, making sure she put the pistol away out of sight. There she stayed silent until Reaper managed to recover. "I don't know if I can believe that something you can't explain killed Ren using you," she admitted, "but I do believe that you would never hurt someone you consider your friend."

That was much nicer to hear than Reaper would ever admit to another living person. "Thanks…"

They sat in silence a moment longer before Nora stood up. "I better get back to my team before they start to worry."

Reaper nodded.

Nora took a few steps to the corner and turned back. "I don't know what you and your team are up to… but good luck." With that soft confirmation of a hatchet buried, Nora left for her team.

Reaper leaned her head back against the wall again, closing her eyes. She felt Neo settle in next to her. Reaper felt as though she hadn't had a decent break since Ash woke her in the sewers. Even what rest she got in the asylum did not feel peaceful. Perhaps, finally, after all this bullshit, she could finally get some-

"Reaper?" Another voice called out to the dark woman.

"Can't get a second to myself…" Reaper muttered under her breath, "Not one single second…"

"Is this a bad time?" The voice asked.

"It's a time, Ash. It's a time…" Reaper opened her eyes to level them at her asylum companion. "What's up?"

"I, um…" She shifted uncomfortably, "I heard something… More like, _overheard_ something… I tried to forget, but I can't get it out of my head…"

"Get to the point already," Reaper deadpanned, "I'm tired."

"I just had to ask… Is it all true?" Ash questioned.

"Is what all true?" Reaper sighed.

"Everything your team talked about…" Ash explained, "About grimm queens and magic relics…"

"You!"

The three womens' gazes shot down the hallway where yet another voice originated. Weiss was standing there, having come from just around a corner. And she did not look happy. "I asked you if you heard anything!"

"Technically, you asked how long I had been there," Ash pointed out, speaking faster than she could think. Reaper noted how calm her voice stayed even in this sudden situation.

"You still lied to me!" Weiss shouted.

"What are you even doing here?" Reaper asked the heiress.

"Trying to keep an eye on you like I said I would," Weiss answered, "Now quiet! _She_ still needs to explain!" Icy blue eyes refocused on their homeless straggler.

"I mean, would you have admitted to… any of that?" Ash reasoned.

Weiss frowned, but she didn't argue. "We need to talk," she told Ash instead. "Back in the cabin. Maybe this time we won't get eavesdropped on…"

Ash grimaced. She did not like the sound of where things were headed.

* * *

The next half an hour were tense, to put things lightly. A fair few things had developed separately that everyone needed to be brought up to speed on. After all was said and done Reaper, Neo, Ash, Chamillia, Weiss, Blake, Amber, Winter, and Qrow were all seated in a small dining area they sectioned off to accommodate all of them. There was barely a single smile in the room.

"How close are we to Atlas?" Blake asked, concerned about the mood of the room.

"It won't be much longer," Winter informed them, "Though we will not be disembarking with the general public. We are all going straight to Atlas Headquarters." She glared at Reaper, Chamillia and Ash, "Whether we like it or not."

Reaper and Chamillia brushed Winter off with similar eye-rolls. Ash was noticeably more uneasy. One minute she was just concerned she was going crazy. Then she learned that not only she wasn't crazy, but just learning these things may drag her into something she wasn't prepared for.

Weiss was in complete disbelief of the series of events that led to this assemblage. Even her excitement at working with Winter was overshadowed by the fresh drama with Ash. Not knowing what else to do, the homeless woman had continued to follow the group like a lost puppy.

Neo was hoping she could do _anything_ to change the mood of the room. Being without a voice or main hand left her, for lack of a better word, handicapped to help at all.

Amber was the 'barely' in the smile department. She had been in Ozpin's organization long enough that things like this were not as surprising as one might hope, and the years had taught her to accept humor wherever she found it. She found the fact that _this_ group were supposed to work closely together definitely humorous.

Qrow was rubbing his head, gripping his empty flask. This was his so-called 'tight group of specialists'? _We're all screwed…_

* * *

When the airship finally arrived in Atlas it first stopped off at an impromptu dock set up for this event. As people filed off the ship, they were guided into various checkpoints. An entire kingdom's worth of recordkeeping had been lost, and here they would begin the lengthy process of recovering their identities. Among that crowd were team JNPR, who were ushered closer to the front. Pyrrha and Jaune had records outside of Vale, and their processing time was considerably shorter. Nora did have to endure a recovery process because records from before she entered Beacon were scarce, given how she and Ren grew up.

They were on the other side much sooner than most of the refugees, and decided to wait up. Jaune and Pyrrha were in no hurry to go anywhere with their families already on their way to Atlas. Nora didn't know _what_ she would do, but there was no hurry to figure that out. They decided to stay together, for the moment, and wait for their friends. Nora and Pyrrha had forgiven Reaper by now, and even though Jaune wouldn't be quick to say he felt the same, he was a lot calmer about the situation.

The longer they waited, the more they traded curious and concerned looks. Weiss and Blake both had records from outside Vale, and they wouldn't be surprised if Reaper and Neo escaped to process and forgo any official ID. Even if Reaper and Neo _did_ decide to be good citizens and stay in line, they should have come out by now.

"Waiting for someone?"

The three's attention turned to the teen standing next to them. He had brown hair, brown-green eyes, and an overall rough appearance. "Yeah," Jaune answered, "You?"

"Yup," The rough boy nodded. "You, uh, wouldn't happen to know if Qrow Branwen was on board?"

"That name doesn't sound familiar," Jaune admitted.

"What about… Weiss Schnee, or Blake Belladonna?" The boy continued questioning.

"Yeah, they were on board," Nora nodded, "Or at least, they should have been."

"Should have been?"

"They should be out here by now," Jaune clarified,

"Right…" The boy seemed to think to himself.

They all waited a little while longer. As soon as the last civilian disembarked, the airship began to take off again. There was still plenty of people waiting to begin identity recovery, but there was no reason to keep the flagship there while they waited.

"It seems in a bit of a hurry!" Pyrrha pointed out, shouting over the sounds of the engine.

The airship left earshot in the direction of Atlas HQ. Jaune peeked back over the crowd, taking note of something. "Did either of you spot them get off? I still don't see them in the crowd…"

"I don't either…" Nora admitted. "Do yo-you?" she tried to ask the rough boy, but he seemed to have vanished.

Down the street the boy argued with the voice in his head. "Coming to Atlas was one thing, but sneaking into the military complex?"

 _Come now, Oscar. I know what I'm doing._

"I'm still not sure I believe that…"


	9. Atlas HQ

**I have been informed that the deletion of the news update chapters may result in an inability to leave a review on this chapter if you left one on chapter 7 back when it occupied the chapter 9 slot.**

 **There's nothing I can do on my end, but with the help of one of my regular reviewers (thank you ArcWraith) we know that if you are unable to leave a review under your account for the above reason, but still wish to leave a review on this chapter, it is possible to log out and leave one as a guest, placing your username in the 'name' spot so other people know it's you.**

 **Of course, it's entirely up to you. If it's not worth the effort to you, I don't blame you. The chapter 10 slot for this story has never been filled, so everyone should be able to review as normal next week. Without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Qrow and Winter led the others off the ship once they had landed in a hanger in Atlas HQ. The group was ushered by a soldier into a nearby vehicle that would take them to the main offices, where Ironwood worked.

"Once we arrive, I shall have to turn in my report, as well as my… vacation request," Winter explained, wording 'vacation' as though the word offended her. "The rest of you shall be dropped off at our robotics lab where you can replace any weapons, dust and," she looked to Neo, "whatever else you may need."

The labs themselves were the resident weaponsmith's wet dream. The excitement in Reaper's eye almost reminded Weiss of another little girl in a red hood from long ago.

"I think I'm in love, Neo…" Reaper sighed, "Even Beacon couldn't afford weave-fabricators like this."

The multi-colored girl shook her head at her dark lover with a smile on her face. As silly as the scene in front of her was, it was nice to see Reaper smile.

"Hey, step back from that!" One of the lab workers tried to call Reaper back off the machine, "Do you even know how to use that!?"

"I'm a quick learner…" Reaper smirked, pressing various buttons with her eyes glued to the display. "What kind of gear are we making you, Neo?"

Neo stepped next to Reaper at an adjacent computer used to draw schematics. The time passed quickly as the pair laid out plans for Neo's new hand. It soon became common for Reaper to scrap a plan entirely whenever she had a new idea, and begin working from the ground up. When they finally settled on an idea that was both physically possible and met the approval of both of them, it was time to move on to replacing Brutal Thorn.

That also turned out more complicated that Neo expected. They started lining out the sniper components and nearly finished the blueprint before things got… weird. Reaper froze, becoming lost in her mind as she stared at the display. It wasn't a panic attack, to Neo's relief. The dark woman shook herself free from her thoughts and guided the curser to highlight the entire blueprint, promptly deleting it. "Bad memories…" she whispered to herself before opening a fresh document. Neo didn't need to ask.

They eventually finished their schematics. The lab workers told them construction would take a few days, especially Neo's hand. The pair returned to the greater group in time for Qrow to receive a message from Winter. "She sent me the location of where we'll be staying while we're here. Let's go."

* * *

Atlas developed pre-fabricated forward bases ages ago, to be dropped at a moment's notice and retrieved just as quickly. One of these pre-built bases had been set up in an area of Atlas HQ not commonly traversed by the daily routine. "Emergency Training" was the reason given for constructing it. The soldiers on the field guessed everything from visiting dignitaries to black operations, though no one was serious enough about their assumptions to try and find out.

The building had a meeting room, kitchen and common area, as well as bunks enough for a small squad, all powered by Dust generators. It was everything soldiers needed to live, whether it was a few weeks or a few months.

The bunks were two-to-a-room. Reaper picked a room at random and pushed the bunks inside together. "Well, I'm moved in," she shrugged and stepped back out into the hall. "So this is where we're staying, huh?"

"For the foreseeable future, yes," Weiss responded, "At least until we get our new equipment from the lab." She noticed Reaper grimace, "Is there a problem?"

Reaper ran a finger across the wall, rubbing imaginary dirt between her fingers. "This place just has that overbearing Atlas 'Discipline' feel to it…"

"Perhaps you can use a little of 'that overbearing discipline.'"

Reaper and Weiss turned to Winter, who had appeared in the doorway. She was wearing a white fur-lined coat, blue jeans and designer boots.

"Winter!" Weiss greeted, "You look… different."

"I can't take my uniform with me on 'vacation'," Winter pointed out.

"Of course," Weiss nodded, "I apologize, I was taken off guard."

Winter's face softened, "There's no need to apologize, little sister. To be truthful, it feels nice to be out of uniform. Nicer than I expected."

Reaper took the opportunity while the sisters caught up to step away. She returned to exploring their new base and soon found herself in the kitchen. She bee-lined for the fridge to find it disappointingly empty. A few more searched cabinets revealed what food had been left in here for them. MREs. Reaper groaned at the sight and spotted Ash standing awkwardly in the doorway as she rolled her eyes. "Here ya go," Reaper threw the meal package at her.

Ash looked surprised as she caught the box. "I can just… have this?" she asked as Reaper walked past her.

"Uh, yeah?" Reaper cocked her eyebrow, "What, were you waiting for permission?"

"Well…" Ash gripped the box.

"How long were you living on the street?" Reaper asked.

"Too long…" Ash frowned.

Reaper shook her head, "They gave us… well, what I hesitate to call 'food', for a reason. If you're hungry, eat."

"We'll need this strength if we're really going to fight this thing, huh?" Ash thought aloud.

"Sure, if that's what you're into…" Reaper shrugged. "Terrible fucking idea if you ask _me_ …"

"Yet, here you are?" Ash pointed out.

"For now," Reaper nodded.

Before Ash could continue questioning what that meant, there was a knock on the front door. The entire building seemed to immediately become silent. Reaper and Ash slowly made their way to the common area, where the front door connected. Everyone also gathered in the main room, the same thing on all of their minds. If everyone was here, who was knocking?

Qrow was the one who stepped to the door to open it. On the other side was… a boy. A teenager with tanned skin and shining eyes.

"Qrow?" The boy asked.

"Who the hell are you?" The grayed huntsmen responded.

The boy continued to look around the room, amazed as he recognized each face. "Weiss, Blake, Winter… you're all real… which means he's right…"

"Who's right?" Weiss asked, "And who are you?"

Something seemed to click in Qrow's mind. "Ozpin?"

Everyone stared at the boy, who slowly nodded.

* * *

"This is unbelievable," Winter scowled at the boy, who had introduced himself as Oscar Pine.

"Is it?" Reaper challenged, "Ozzy being some immortal wizard, come back in the mind of this kid? Is that _really_ the strangest thing we've come to accept this week?"

"It's awfully convenient," Winter pointed out.

"It's _all_ awfully convenient," Reaper argued, "If my ass wasn't ridden like a damn horse and made to destroy Vale, I wouldn't believe _any_ of this bullshit. The fact that any of you are surprised by this anymore is fucking adorable," The dark woman sighed heavily and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked.

"I feel like I haven't slept in a week," Reaper answered, "I'm fucking tired."

Weiss frowned watching Reaper retreat into the rooms. Neo frowned as well, though hers was full of concern.

"Is she all right?" Oscar asked.

"Who knows," Weiss sighed, "I wouldn't worry about her if I were you."

"So," Qrow cut in, looking Oscar's way "Where's your head at on this?"

"Huh?" Oscar blinked, not used to being addressed like this, like he was authority.

"Well, Oz?" Qrow pressed.

 _Right._ I'm _not the authority._ "He says it should be obvious," Oscar relayed after listening to Ozpin, "We start with the maidens."

"We already have the fall maiden with us," Amber spoke up, "We would already know if the winter maiden was attacked. I haven't spoken to summer in ages and spring, well…"

"Spring is its own headache…" Qrow agreed, "We should probably check on summer first."

Oscar flinched, "About that…"

"What?" Amber sat up.

"Ozpin had me check a few things on my way to Atlas," Oscar took out his scroll, "and we found this."

He brought up an image of a newspaper on his scroll. It looked to originate from a small village in the Vacuo desert. The article was about a young woman found dead in the sands. The scars on her face looked familiar… "Oh my god," Amber realized, "They look like mine."

"Cinder left those scars when she tried to steal your power," Qrow recalled, "If I hadn't been there, she would have killed you and taken it all…"

Blake connected dots quickly. "Is that the summer maiden? Does this mean Salem already has the summer maiden's power?"

"I think that's the assumption we should make…" Qrow nodded solemnly.

"Ozpin says that, we should also assume that they already have Shade's relic as well." Oscar passed on.

The room went deathly quiet. Even Ash had had enough time by now to digest what this meant. Salem's endgame was to gather the relics and obtain their godly power… and she was already a quarter way to victory.

"What do we do?" Blake asked.

"We need to match Salem in power," Weiss deduced, "or we won't stand a chance at beating her."

"Why didn't we grab Beacon's relic on the way out, again?" Amber asked Qrow.

"Because it's safer locked away, especially while we know you're safe," Qrow explained, "We didn't know at the time. Besides, it would be dangerous to travel with a relic before we _need_ it."

"Salem wants to consolidate her power," Oscar/Ozpin explained, "She won't attack us _with_ the relic and risk losing it. The important thing is to get to the other maidens before she does. Then we can gather what relics we may need, and keep the others safe."

"You said we would know for sure if the winter maiden was attacked," Winter pointed out, "Who is the winter maiden?"

"Someone hiding in plain sight, who Ironwood could protect easily," Qrow answered vaugely, "the problem, the one Salem will likely seek out next herself, the one _we_ need to look for as well, is spring."

"Do you not know who the spring maiden is?" Blake asked.

"Not exactly," Amber admitted, "but we do know who the spring maiden is _with_."

Amber and Oscar looked to Qrow, and eventually every last eye in the room followed suit. Once everyone was staring at him, he sighed heavily. "She's with the Branwen bandit tribe."

Winter grimaced, "As in Qrow Branwen?"

"As in Raven Branwen," Qrow corrected, "My sister."

"So, our next step is to locate a bandit tribe…" Weiss rubbed her forehead, "Anyone have any ideas?"

"A few years ago, I had an idea where she was camped," Qrow told them, "Now, though…"

Everyone fell quiet as no immediate ideas sprung to mind. Eventually, Blake stood and stretched, catching the attention of the room. "As strange as it is to admit, I think Reaper has the right idea right now."

"What do you mean?" Weiss questioned.

"R and R," Blake explained, "We won't come up with a solution in the next five minutes. Even if we _could_ , we're still waiting on the labs for our gear. I think we could _all_ use some rest."

"I'd hate to agree with Reaper," Winter mentioned, "So I'm glad in this case I can agree with you."

"Alright…" Weiss reluctantly settled, "I suppose I could use some sleep as well…"

"Then it's settled!" Qrow stretched as well, "I'll crash out here. Rather not share a bunk with someone."

"I'll be taking the Field Commander's quarters," Winter announced.

"We don't mind rooming, right Weiss?" Blake smirked. Her white-themed girlfriend blushed and nodded.

* * *

Everyone broke away and found beds for themselves soon after. Chamillia decided to follow Neo to Reaper's room. The small girl wasn't sure how Mimic, of all people, ended up more or less 'imprinting', for lack of a better term, on one of them. But she shrugged it off. As long as she wasn't there to stab _them,_ someone with skills from both her and Reaper, even if they were just memories of skills, could only be a help.

And there were more important things to worry about. Even though Neo now know about the extent of Reaper's panic attacks, she still wasn't sure where her head was at right now. Reaper's behavior lately almost felt like… _like she doesn't even want to be here._

Neo found the room Reaper had crashed in and saw the dark woman herself spread out on the bed. The smaller girl sat down next to her dark lover, looking over her peaceful sleep. Neo's eyes were naturally drawn to that distracting scar tissue. Her fingers reached out, dragging across the rough, red skin on Reaper's face. It felt hard and bumpy in weird places, a stark contrast to her still unscarred skin. Neo's thumb teased the edge of the burn tissue, eventually reaching the pale, intact skin.

The second Neo's thumb touched the undamaged flesh, Reaper's reaction was instantaneous. Her eyes shot open, and her hand was lightning fast as it caught Neo's wrist. The small girl was certain she saw rose petals in the blur. Reaper's eyes were dilated, her breath heavy. It took her a second to wake up and realize what had happened, after which point she slacked her grip on Neo's wrist. "Sorry… you took me by surprise."

 _I only took her by surprise after I touched her undamaged skin?_ Neo frowned. _Is Reaper's entire right side blind?_ She watched over her dark lover, who seemed to try and return to sleep. She wasn't very successful. It didn't help when Chamillia laid down as well, shifted the beds around. _What is she even doing here?_

"Hey Neo?" Reaper called for her lover's attention, "now that I'm awake, I might as well ask. What do you want to do after we get our gear?"

Neo cocked her eyebrow. _What do you mean?_

"I mean what will we do, where will we go?" Reaper smiled, "All of Remnant will be at our fingertips. Once were back at a hundred percent, what's next for us?"

Neo gestured around them with a confused look on her face. _We're kind of in the middle of something?_

Reaper blinked blankly. "Seriously?"

The small girl crossed her arms and glared. ' _Seriously' what?_

"I don't think this fight is a good idea," Reaper confessed, "I met Salem and her allies, when Korruption had me. And I don't want _anything_ to do with her."

Neo poked Reaper before spelling 'afraid' with her intact hand, trying to tease her.

"Yes I'm afraid!" Reaper admitted, surprising Neo, "I want to stay alive, a little fear is healthy for that."

Neo frowned before taking out her scroll. She needed full articulation now, and she was still down a hand for signing. 'What about our friends?'

"Neo, all of our friends are fighters. Weiss and Blake are adults that can handle themselves and make their own life choices, even if they are awful," Reaper argued. "Don't get me wrong, they _are_ my friends. Even when Weiss and I are rocky, I would kill for her. Easily. But if they're intent on this suicide mission because they think they'll be doing some greater good, who am I to stand in their way?"

Reaper sat up in the bed and continued to explain herself, "They don't need our protection. And I'm not even sure they want _my_ help. I'm certain at least one of them would be happy if I were to leave, maybe more than that. And the truth is, there's is only one person here – _one_ – who I might feel lost without…" she looked up to Neo, "And all I want is to grab their hand, go somewhere, and live a life we can actually enjoy. Instead of whatever hell lies ahead in this 'war'."

Neo frowned in thought for a moment, typing out on her scroll. 'And what if they want to stay and fight?'

Reaper stared at the screen, her face indecipherable. "Then… I guess I would stay. But only for them."

Neo nodded. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not. It wasn't the most noble reason to stay, though to be fair perhaps Neo's wasn't either. She only wanted to help protect their friends here because, deep down, she wasn't sure this war was a good idea either. _Reaper and I are cut from the same vein, after all,_ Neo smiled. _Whatever happens, at least I'll have her here._

"Still think it's a terrible idea," Reaper clarified, laying back onto the bed, "But I'll back you up, Neo."

Neo laid back as well. It was time to get some decent rest, and what better rest could she get than snuggling up to her Reaper?


	10. Loyalties

**You should be able to review as normal once again**

* * *

A lot had happened for Ash. Just a few days ago, she was one of Vale's many homeless sob stories. Now she was standing inside _the_ Atlas Military Complex, among high-class fighters battling for the fate of Remnant itself. She felt like driftwood dragged along with the tide. Technically no one actually invited her along, but everything had happened too quickly, and here she was. _At least I'll be spending tonight in an actual bed, in a room, with intact walls and windows._

By the time she finished waking up the next morning, she had decided to enjoy these luxuries while they lasted. And there was one luxury in particular she hasn't enjoyed for years. A hot shower. Being able to steam up the bathroom with an hour-long shower made Ash feel amazing. She could almost feel the soap coaxing dirt out of her pores. Dirt that had been there for years, finally washing away… it was heaven.

It wasn't until the water started to cool off that she stepped out of the shower, feeling fresher than she had ever been in her life. Looking in the mirror she could swear her skin was a few shades pinker and her hair looks less like a dirty gray. It was hard enough keeping short hair clean with her lifestyle, _but if there is any chance my luck is turning, maybe I can grow it again._

Ash stepped out of the bathroom, looking towards her clothing laid out on the bed. Or she would if her clothing was there. "What the hell? Did someone seriously steal _my_ clothes?" She looked around the room and spotted a note next to a scroll on the dresser.

 _Ash_

 _You seem to be enjoying your shower. I can't blame you. I noticed your clothes are a little worse for wear, so I decided to try and get them cleaned for you. Your shower won't be very productive if you put these old rags back on. I would have just tossed them, but I don't know if anything holds sentimental value, so I decided against it. I'm going to shop for a new outfit you can wear while your old clothes get cleaned. The scroll is so you can massage me once you get out of the shower._

 _Weiss_

Ash picked up the scroll, quickly finding the only contact on the device. 'I got your note', Ash fired off. Not a moment later there was a knock at the door. Ash made sure her towel was secure around her body and let Weiss in.

"I ultimately decided for relatively the same style as your older clothes," Th ex-heiress stepped inside and set a pile of folded clothing on the bed. Ash quickly picked up the clothing herself.

"This is okay, right?" Weiss asked.

Ash looked between the Ice Queen and the clothing she bought for her. "Yeah. I've been 'living rough' way too long to refuse help. Thank you, Weiss."

"You're welcome," Weiss smiled and left the room, "I'll be right out here."

Ash changed slowly, cherishing the feeling of fresh clothing. She couldn't even remember the last time she had socks. Soon she was outfitted in a gray pullover T with short sleeves that only covered her shoulder and dark pants that were tucked into second-hand boots. She did miss her jacket with it's large, deep pockets and comforting weight. Hopefully the wash wouldn't take too long.

She stepped outside her room to see Weiss sitting at the table, loading Dust into her weapon. When she saw Ash, she set down her equipment and stood up. "Hello, Ash. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead," Ash sat down, prompting Weiss to do so as well.

"I wanted to know… how long are you going to stay here?" Weiss asked carefully, trying not to sound rude.

Ash blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It's not your war," Weiss explained, "I understand things just kind of… happened, and it's easy to get lost in the flow. You didn't sign up for this fight, and you don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Ash thought about her response carefully. What _was_ she still doing here? "I guess… I don't know…" Ash confessed, "I mean, you all have been so nice to me. That is the only decent bed I have slept on in honest _years_. I suppose, as selfish as it is, I was going to stick around for the free room and board until you all decided you didn't want me around."

"I see…" Weiss was in thought.

"Is that what this is?" Ash asked, "Do you want me to leave? It's no problem, I understand, really."

"No not at all!" Weiss assured quickly, "But I have to ask, do you know how to fight?"

"Not… not like a huntress…" Ash answered slowly.

"If you could stay, but it meant you had to learn how to fight… Would you?" Weiss pressed on.

"I…" Ash really didn't know. She wasn't homeless and jobless for a lack of trying to get work and a life on her part. It's not that she's not willing to put forth the effort, but it always goes wrong in the end… usually when someone discovers her little 'addiction'. But it was hard to say no to the woman who's given her clean clothes and a hot shower. "I think I would try, but I wouldn't be able to make any promises."

"I understand," Weiss nodded, "So my last question. Are you staying?"

 _I've never tried to make a career out of fighting before. Maybe, this time… maybe things will work out… plus, that bed is very nice…_ "Yes, I think I am."

Weiss sighed in relief. "We'll discuss the training later. It's just good to know where you stand." A ding from the next room caught Weiss's attention, "That would be the washer! I'll be right back."

"This place has everything…" Ash noted, watching Weiss move into another room, "Atlas doesn't take half-measures, do they?"

Ash's eyes wandered down to the table. The tube of red Dust the huntress was using to fill her rapier was sitting there… begging to be taken in hand… _No!_ Ash shook her head, _I can't do that anymore! I can't…_

Her eyes still passed over the entire room, seeing if anyone was watching. The tension swelled in her chest. Her eyes darted back to the doorway Weiss went through, lingering, gauging how much longer she would take. "Maybe… just this once…" She muttered under her breath, reaching for the vial slowly. The second her finger closed around the dust, her arm shot back to her side. She hastily shoved the glass in her pocket while keeping an eye on the door.

Feeling the dust tube settle in her pocket released the tension in her chest. Ash gave a heavy sigh as sweet relief washed over her.

"You look happy," Weiss noted, walking back into the room.

"New clothes, a shower, a decent bed…I almost don't feel homeless anymore," Ash smiled.

"Mabe your luck is turning," Weiss smiled as well, reaching to pack away her equipment. "Wait a minute…"

Ash watched Weiss begin to look around. A pang of guilt shot through her heart, but speaking up now could be worse than staying quiet. She could always return the dust later…

"Hey Ash, did you see where I set down my Burn Dust?" Weiss finally asked.

"No, sorry," Ash lied confidently.

"Really?" Weiss frowned, "It's not like a vial of Dust isn't noticeable…"

Ash shrugged, "Maybe you never took it out?"

"Maybe…" Weiss checked her case, "It's not in here either. I could have sworn… Did the labs forget…?" the ex-heiress sighed, "Well, I guess I need to make a call. We'll talk later."

"See you, Weiss," Ash nodded.

Her stomach grumbled on her way back into her room, and she turned into the kitchen instead. There she saw Reaper putting a bottle of something into the fridge. "Hello," Ash greeted.

"Hey," Reaper nodded, "Weiss got a bunch of real food, so we can stop with the MRE's."

"Sounds good," Ash smiled, "What's that?"

"Mine," Reaper warned as she picked up a glass of white liquid. Ash swore she could smell alcohol. "If it disappears," Reaper smirked at her, "I'll know who to ask first."

 _Wink_.

Ash was frozen as Reaper stepped around her and out of the kitchen. "What was that about? She couldn't have meant…" Ash gripped the Dust vial in her pocket, "could she…?"

* * *

Chamillia was swinging another make-shift scythe in the room Reaper and Neo decided to share. This new blade was a little better-made than the one she had in Vale, it more closely resembled an actual scythe. It still wasn't _perfect_ , but Chamillia would be getting a replacement in the Atlas gear supply. She was just using this one for practice. Or trying to, anyway…

"I don't get it!" she vented, "What am I doing wrong!?"

"You don't have my semblance," Reaper finally told her, tired of watching the little girl try and fail to do complicated maneuvers. "I rely on my semblance for my fighting style, you won't be able to copy it. And while we're on the subject of copying…"

Chamillia frowned to herself.

"You realize you only have _memories_ of how to fight, right?" Reaper pointed out, "You don't have any formal training. No muscle memory, not the proper muscles themselves. You would need to train from the ground up. And if you insist on fighting with a scythe, you can't even use my memories to make it easier."

Chamillia frowned deeper, grumbling. "Yeah, yeah… I know…" she admitted.

"Ash needs training, too," Qrow announced his arrival in the doorway, "apparently she's sticking around as well. You won't be alone."

"And Qrow here can teach you how to use a scythe," Reaper pointed out.

"Really?" Chamillia looked at his weapon. It looked like a sword to her…

"Yeah," Qrow nodded, "Who do you think taught _her_?"

Chamillia looked between the two scythe wielders. Her resolve hardened. "Okay," she nodded, gripping her scythe tight.

"Calm down, we won't be starting this minute," Qrow looked to Reaper, "I came to tell you Oz wants to talk."

"Alright," Reaper replied.

"Alone," Qrow pointed out the door with his head.

Reaper frowned and stood. Might as well get whatever this is about over with. It was a short walk to the meeting room, which had a large table with room for several chairs. When she stepped inside, Oscar was sitting in one of those chairs waiting for her. "Hey, kid. I hear the wizard in your head has words for me."

Oscar was sitting calmly, back straight, eyes closed. Something about him seemed different to Reaper. He wasn't as nervous as she usually sees him.

"Indeed I do," The boy opened his eyes, "Reaper."

His eyes looked slightly different, and his speech had changed. In fact, he now reminded Reaper more of… "Oh, _that_ is fucked."

"Pardon?" Oscar asked.

 _No, Ozpin,_ Reaper corrected in her head. Because it _was_ Ozpin she was speaking to. "It's not enough to hitch a ride in his head and convince him to travel halfway across the world for _this_ bullshit. No, now you're actually hijacking his body?"

"Oscar could push me back if he wished," Ozpin assured, "He has all the power to."

"But never out," Reaper deduced, "He's still stuck with you."

"Please, this isn't what I called you to discuss," Ozpin pleaded.

Reaper crossed her arms. She was clearly unconvinced, but allowed Ozpin to move on.

"Your demeanor the past few days have some of us concerned," Ozpin began, "Concerned for your intentions."

"'Intentions'?" Reaper chuckled, "You make it sound so sinister."

"I apologize, that is not my… intention," Ozpin heisted to use the word again, "I simply mean to say that it seems you do not wish to stay."

 _Didn't I just have this talk a few days ago…? He doesn't know I_ am _staying. Bet I could have a little fun…_ "Oh my," Reaper's voice dripped with sarcasm, "was I that obvious?"

"Whatever you think of this fight, the people here would stand much less of a chance without you," Ozpin told her.

"Bullshit," Reaper scoffed, "You've got Atlas's second in command and a _fucking maiden_. Not to mention you already know where another maiden is! You don't _need_ me, Ozzy, and I don't even know why you'd _want_ me."

"You _do_ have something special, Ms. Rose," Ozpin assured her, "Something that could perhaps be even more useful than the maidens."

Reaper rolled her eyes. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like this. "Enlighten me."

"There is a legend, from a very long time ago. Before the existence of the schools, before the huntsmen and huntresses, there was _another_ class of fighter who took up arms against the grimm," Ozpin explained, "These soldiers were born with special gifts. The creatures of darkness stood no chance, against the silver-eyed warriors."

To say Reaper's reaction was subtle would be an over statement. The girl didn't seem to react at all. "I expected you to, well… something?" Ozpin prodded.

"I stopped being surprised by your bullshit when you walked Oscar through the front door," Reaper reminded him, "So what, I have magic powers I never knew about? Sure, that makes about as much sense as anything."

Ozpin didn't detect sarcasm in her voice. "You're… truly taking this in stride?"

"Yup," Reaper nodded honestly. "Still don't see why this means I should stay," she smirked subtly, finding some enjoyment in teasing Ozpin.

"The people here will need your strength," Ozpin argued.

"So, you want me as a weapon?" Reaper continued to not make this easy for the wizard.

"No," Ozpin fell for it, trying to quickly recover. "You would be helping your friends," he insisted instead, "Doing some good. Being a huntress!"

All his argument did was make Reaper scoff.

"Please, Reaper," Ozpin practically begged, "Have I ever steered you wrong before?"

This, too, did not nearly have the reaction Ozpin anticipated. He even expected another blank stare before he expected outright _laughter_. Laughter that carried on and on, tears even forming in Reaper's intact eye. It was making him a little uncomfortable, to be honest…

"Ohhhh my gaahhd…" Reaper finally calmed down, "Thank you, Oz, really… I needed that…"

"Do you really feel I have wronged you so much?" Ozpin's retainment of his confidence was admirable, given how quickly he seemed to be losing control of the conversation.

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" Reaper began without hesitation, making Ozpin flinch. "You pull me up _two years_ to be in Beacon, something unheard of before. All based on my combat skills, not my studies, or my maturity. Surprisingly, I wasn't emotionally mature enough _not_ to try something extremely dumb I shouldn't have even _known_ about."

"The Aura-Link?" Ozpin found himself mentioning despite himself.

"Exactly," Reaper nodded, "And it scram-bled m'noggin. I shouldn't have stayed at Beacon after I almost killed Jaune in class, but nope. There I stayed until I killed a stranger in an alley and decided to run away…"

"Your first kill was while you were at Beacon?" Ozpin was surprised.

"That should have been the end, but no… you invited me back only months later with open arms," Reaper continued, ignoring his question. "I understand I was 'undercover crook' at the time, so maybe that one doesn't count. But then, even after I betrayed your trust, you still wanted me back… You jumped through _every_ hoop to make it happen."

"I only wanted to help," Ozpin defended.

"The road to blah blah, good intentions, all that…" Reaper waved him off.

"It can't _all_ have been bad?" Ozpin pleaded.

"Oh, you think _that_ was bad?" Reaper smirked mockingly, "Remember that one time I _blew up Vale_!? I have a feeling _that_ wouldn't have happened if you never convinced me to come back. How else would Salem have found me for Korruption's host if it didn't have something to do with my court case making me famous?"

Reaper crossed her arms and dropped her smile, "It's almost funny, I never regretted my criminal life, even now. But after everything that's happened…" she looked Ozpin dead in the eye. "I wish I had _never_ listened to you."

Ozpin was left speechless after Reaper's rant. Was that really how she saw it? _Is it really… true?_

Reaper reached for the doorknob, done with this conversation. She hesitated when another thought struck her. "'You have silver eyes'."

"Pardon?" Ozpin spoke quietly.

"That's the first thing you ever said to me… before inviting me to Beacon…" Reaper slowly fleshed out her thoughts. "Was it ever about _me_? Or did you just want to watch over my apparent super-power?"

"Reaper…"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Reaper scowled, "If you really cared about me like you say, you would have sent me home long before I became The Reaper. But you kept me around to 'watch over me'. Salem's not the only one trying to horde power, is she?"

"That's not-!"

Reaper's fist slammed into the table, cutting him off. "Was it. Or was it not. Because you wanted to keep watch over my 'silver-eyes'?"

Ozpin didn't answer, which was answer enough for Reaper. She turned back around to leave, stopping at the door. "You'll be happy to know I had already decided to stay before this meeting," she told him, "but I'm only staying for Neo. I'm not _your_ soldier. And I'm certainly not about to be your weapon. I just got through being used and I'm not eager to do so again." Reaper slammed the door on the way out.


	11. A Walk on the Dark Side

**Some good news before we get into things! I finished writing this act! The grand total is seven chapters, so you have two more to look forward to after this!**

* * *

Far outside of Atlas and Mantle, there were a variety of coast cities where the snow met ice and sea. These cities enjoyed Atlas's protection, though on the day-to-day they remained firmly far from Atlas's mind. It was in one of these cities a woman limped through in dirty clothing, wearing a low hood, desperate for her next meal. She finally approached what appeared to be a club, deciding that expensive bar food is better than nothing. It wasn't as though she _didn't_ have Lien… There was another reason for her troubles.

"Hey!" The bouncer stopped her at the door, "I can't let you in with the hood, girly."

"Please…" She pleaded, "I can pay…"

"This ain't Mistral, miss," The bouncer frowned, "I won't be bought. Hood down."

The woman slowly lowered her hood. The bouncer blinked rapidly, and others in line started shifting their eyes as well. The stark white hair and skin made her hard to look at, and those eyes… something about those eyes was unsettling. The bouncer couldn't seem to tell what color they were. He also noticed a few other people in line already leaving.

"Can I go in now?" The woman asked.

"Sorry…" The bouncer told her, watching two more people almost leave, "but… well, no offense, but… you're already making people uncomfortable here. We can't have all our customers leaving."

The woman very much took offense. It was the same story everywhere, even that diner that didn't have any other customers! All her life, people couldn't stand to look at her. She couldn't hold down a job, and people were constantly refusing her from establishments. She was starting to get angry.

"Look into my eyes," She growled at the bouncer. The man didn't want to. "I said look!" She demanded, and the bouncer caved. He looked, and couldn't describe what he saw. A moment later the bouncer had fallen down in sleep. The second he hit the ground, the girl knew she made a mistake. She didn't want to cause any trouble, and now to avoid it she had to be quick.

The woman rushed over the fallen man and inside. She didn't have much time before he woke back up, and it would be pretty obvious what had happened. She made her way to the bar as quickly as she could and ordered the first food item she saw. She kept one eye on the door as she impatiently waited for her food. The second she was handed a paper-lined basket filled with hot wings, she tried to b-line for the door.

"Hey!" The bartender called out to her, "You can't take food onto the dance floor!"

The woman, perhaps unwisely, did stop. She turned back, and spotted the bouncer stepping through the door.

"Hey!" The bouncer shouted drowsily at her, "S… stop her!"

The woman didn't know what to do. She may have paid for the food, but she did technically trespass into the club. She tried to rush past the bouncer to the front door, underestimating how awake he had become. He managed to grab her as she ran past. She craned her neck to get a look at him, but the bouncer used his hand to cover her eyes. "Not hitting me with that semblance again!"

She was quickly tossed outside without given the chance to argue or fight back. She started to get angry again, but she pushed that down. Anger hadn't done her any favors. Even the hot wings had been lost somewhere back there, likely staining the precious dance floor. She instead slumped her way into the nearest isolated spot, in the corner of an ally.

 _If it keeps going like this, I won't last much longer…_ she thought grimly to herself. It wasn't always this bad, but the more places she got banned from and kicked out of, the more nights she went hungry. _Maybe it's wrong to think someone will save me…_

Movement caught the corner of her eye. She looked up and barely caught a glimpse of… something. She could have sworn it was a crystal ball with feet, or maybe tentacles? She had no idea _what_ it was, but it wasn't the first time she had seen it. She felt like it was following her… watching her.

But who would want to watch the blank woman that made everyone uneasy? Whether it was her last hope or true logic, the girl herself could only come to one conclusion. If someone was interested enough in her to watch her, wouldn't they want to help? If so, she desperately wished they would help soon…

* * *

A week passed, and the blank woman's situation got no better. Fortunately, she found an outdoor hot dog stand willing to let her buy. Unfortunately, she barely got one bite into her hot dog before someone knocked the food from her hands, scattering it across the ground.

"Oops," the man spoke insincerely, munching on his own fries. "I guess you'll have to find another, freak."

The only thing keeping the woman from tearing into him was the mantra she had come to learn. Anger does no favors. Instead of throwing fists, she released her grip on her own fingers and walked away. But all that didn't mean it all didn't still hurt. She slinked back into a familiar alley to curl up and cry.

It was a few moments later that something landed next to her. She dared to look, and saw a basket filled with fries. A basket that looked suspiciously like the one the bully had been eating from, though that fact didn't matter in the moment. It was the first food the woman had been able to consume in a few days. It wasn't nearly enough to make her full, but it gave her new energy. She wouldn't starve to death after all.

It gave her hope.

Having finished the fries, she looked up to her savior. She knew what she would see, but she was no less shocked. The strange floating orb suspended in front of her. Now that she had a clear view of it, she could tell it was a grimm. But why would a grimm save _any_ human, especially her? "Who are you?"

"He is mine," a soothing voice spoke out.

The blank woman turned to face the voice, seeing a tall figure dress in a black hood. "Who are _you_?" she asked.

"I've been watching you," the figure spoke, clearly a woman's voice. "My friend here acts as my eyes where I cannot see."

"It's you, then…" the blank woman deduced, "Why, though?"

"Don't you know?" the black figure gestured toward her. "I'm here to help."

 _My savior…_ The blank woman could barely believe the day had finally come. "Why me, though?"

The dark figure lowered her hood, and the blank woman gasped. Pale skin, pale hair, and distinctive, unsettling eyes. She never gave thought to why her savior would be interested in her in the first place. She certainly didn't expect there would ever be, well… someone like her.

"I know what it's like," the woman held out her hand, "to be misunderstood."

The blank woman reached out to take her savior's hand, but hesitated. Her eyes drifted to the discarded fry box on the ground. "What… what did you do to him?"

"Nothing. Yet." The savior smirked. "Follow me."

The blank woman followed her savior around the corner, where the bully was constricted by grimm arms sprung forth from the ground. "He didn't do _me_ wrong, after all," the savior explained. She pulled out a knife and handed it to the blank woman. "He did _you_ wrong."

The blank woman was at a crossroads. She could feel it. This moment, this decision, could dictate the path of the rest of her life. What her savior was asking her to indulge in went against everything morality had taught her.

Looking into her savior's black eyes strengthened her resolve. This woman was offering to save her life. The man had only thought to hurt her. Was it really wrong to punish someone like him? A bully, a villain daresay, who treated her poorly because she looked strange?

As thoughts of revenge entered her mind, she reminded herself 'anger does no favors'. So as her grip tightened on the knife, she told herself this wouldn't be done in anger. This would be done for justice, because her savior asked it of her.

It would be done out of loyalty.

That thought put the blank woman in a strange state of nirvana. It kept her calm as she extracted her savior's 'justice' upon the man. The fact that she barely even blinked as she did unspeakable things would have unnerved the most depraved killer. And at the end of it all, she only turned around to face her savior again and ask, "what's next?"

Her savior smiled. "My name is Salem. And you are exactly what I'm looking for, miss…?"

* * *

"Leid!"

Leid Kale was brought back to the present by her current companion, the man mountain Hazel Rainart. "Don't lose focus _now_."

"You're lecturing me on losing focus?" Kale shook her head, "Which of us has disappointed Salem in the past, Hazel?"

Hazel grunted, but did not respond.

The two were currently stood in a secret elevator, taking them beneath Shade Academy. As they were still descending, Kale allowed herself a bit more time to indulge in her memories. That first act of loyalty had been a leap of faith, let there be no doubt. That faith had been proven tenfold. Salem took her in and taught her the truth of the world. She taught her about her semblance and appearance, how to turn these curses into gifts. She gave Leid Kale a home and a purpose.

Kale owed Salem everything, and so she gave Salem everything. She understood, unlike Salem's last protégé, that the maiden's power did not belong to her. She was a vessel for her mistress, nothing more. Kale herself belonged to Salem now. And that made her just as important as she needed to be, and more important than she could ever hope. She would never regret her loyalty.

"We're here," Hazel called to her again. They had reached the bottom of the elevator, and before them stretched a large room. The ground was made of sand, reminiscent of the Vacuo desert. Complete with to-scale towns and cities, if a few centuries out of date. And in the center, right where the Grand Oasis would be, was a large, circular slab of enchanted stone. The duo stepped toward this stone with purpose.

Kale smiled and knelt down, placing her hand upon the stone. The enchantments within the rock reacted to the power of the summer maiden. The stone began to glow and melt away. The edge of the circular slab retreated toward the middle of itself, and downward into the water hidden underneath.

The magic stone continued to retreat until it's glow could no longer be seen. A few moments passed where the room appeared still and silent, with the pair standing in front of this large pool of water patiently. Then the magic slab returned, having transformed shape entirely into the form of a fair lady rising from her lake. In the lake lady's hands was offered an elegant sword, brimming with power. The godly Relic of Destruction.

Hazel stepped onto the water, his feet meeting the mirror surface without sinking. There was a belief that the relic of destruction was a double edged sword in more than just appearance. This was why he was here, because he could shut out the pain. He reached out and took the sword in hand, feeling the weight as he drew it from the statue. His semblance was active, but nothing was happening physically. Perhaps he was safe.

That thought lasted all of five seconds before Hazel's skin began to crack.

* * *

Salem sat patiently at her table. Her 'allies' should return any moment now. Barring any more unforeseen interruption, they should return with maiden power and destruction relic in hand. The Grimm Queen was starting the new battle with the upper hand, for once. Even Korruption's _massive_ fuck-up in attacking Vale wasn't slowing her down. Perhaps this time she could finally win the war.

She felt fortunate to have discovered Leid Kale. The girl was easy to sway, and Salem got to play a role she rarely fulfilled. Acting as her savior had granted her total dominance of the blank girl's will, and all with the blank girl's permission. A loyal pawn who knew what they were and were content with just that. Salem couldn't ask for a better soldier.

The sound of her doors opening brought Salem's attention back to the room. She opened her eyes to see a sight that was, for lack of a better term, mixed. Not at all disappointing, as Kale was carrying a cloth-wrapped blade that could only be the relic of destruction. However, the victory was somewhat diminished by Hazel's missing limb. "What has happened?"

"My Queen," Kale dipped her head, "The relic of destruction was more destructive than we initially assumed."

Salem once again looked to Hazel. His elbow remained, but everything below it was gone. "So when Hazel took the sword in hand…?"

"It vanished," Kale answered, "cracked and faded away. There was nothing we could do."

Salem sighed. "Hazel, are you fit to travel to Atlas on your own?"

"Yes," the large man nodded.

"One of Arthur's associates is still in-kingdom," Salem told him, "He shouldn't know you, but if he was a friend of Arthur's you could likely buy his services."

"Understood," Hazel nodded and turned to leave.

Tyrian left as well, leaving only Kale and Salem. The maiden brought the sword forward to her mistress. "Polyester?" Salem noticed, taking the wrapped blade.

"The relic disintegrated Hazel's arm, but not the stone it was trapped in," Kale explained, "While it may have been the enchantments, we decided to try just non-organic material and see if it worked."

"I see," Salem nodded, "We'll be sure to be careful with this." She looked to Leid Kale and smiled, "Good work."

Kale couldn't help but smile. She had come to outright idolize the Grimm Queen, so of course she was happy when Salem was happy. "So, what is next, my Queen?"

Salem sat back in thought. "We cannot acquire another relic without the associated maiden power, so we need to find a maiden. We're having trouble locating fall, and winter is out of our reach until we have more strength," Salem counted off, "so spring it is."

"And where is spring?" Kale asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Salem asked, "though I do have an idea."

Kale cocked her head and raised an eyebrow, "I don't understand?"

Salem smirked, "Have you ever heard of the Branwen bandit tribe?"


	12. A Needed Break

**When I was writing these last two chapters they were originally one, but it got to be so long with enough of a disconnect between the two halves that I split them into two. I want to keep them two distinct chapters for consistency's sake, but I also kind of want this act finally over and behind me.** **This had certainly not been the strongest act in this series, but it has been necessary.**

 **I don't want to make you wait an entire week for more of the same talking and setup, so I'm going to upload the final chapter in a few days instead. Probably Monday or Tuesday.**

 **Lyrics used are from _Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time_ by Panic! at the Disco.**

* * *

Reaper stood in the kind of dark void that could only exist in dreams. She stood alone, her dream-state self not quite functional enough to question why she was even here. Not until another voice broke the silent vacuum.

 _ **Reaper…**_

"Ember?" Reaper's eyes shot open, and she began scanning the darkness. She began to take a step, but quickly felt off balance. It was hard to see what was ground when everything was just black. _Am I even standing on the ground?_

 _ **I'm here… in the dark…**_

"Where?" Reaper called out, missing her mental companion more than she cared to admit.

 _ **And when I get stronger…**_

The sound of that last comment brought Reaper to a halt. "…Ember? Or… no…"

The darkness faded revealing a familiar room. A room was absolutely covered in blood. Ren's blood. Reaper felt her heart beat faster and faster as her eyes passed over the space in a panic. They quickly fell upon Ren's corpse, Brutal Thorn sticking out of his chest. Reaper backed up, away from the body, until her back hit the door. Thankfully, nightmare logic had not removed it exit from the room.

No, nightmare logic had done something worse. Reaper desperately yanked the door open and rushed through, only to find herself _not_ in the halls of Beacon. She was standing in a frozen slice of time with rubble and flames suspended in the air around her. Out of a mound of rubble in front of her protruded a bloody hand. Neo's right hand.

Reaper's hands found their way to her head. She just couldn't escape these images. Turning to run, she ran right into a reflection of the dark woman, without the burns. The reflection's arm shot out, fingers gripping tight around Reaper's throat. Black spots appeared on the outstretched arm, spreading and turning the whole thing black. Reaper struggled against the weak grip, eye locked onto her reflection.

The reflection opened her black and red grimm eyes…

… and Reaper finally woke in cold sweat. The dark woman sat up slowly, taking care not to disturb Neo's sleep. She grabbed her scroll, using the face camera as a mirror to check her eyes. Safe and silver. "It's gone…" Reaper assured herself, lowering the scroll. "If it wasn't, it would have reared its ugly head before _now_ …"

The bed shifted behind Reaper, reminding her of her dark lover, and of what happened the nightmare. _I thought, without a trigger, I'd finally be done with these flashbacks. But now they've invaded my dreams. Can I never be free of them?_

Reaper didn't trust her dreams. _Not that I'm too tired anymore, anyway,_ she told herself as she stood. This time, her rustling the bed _did_ wake someone, someone she had forgotten was there.

"Reaper…?" Chamillia spoke groggily.

The dark woman sighed. "Go back to bed."

"Where are you going?" Chamillia asked instead.

"Out," was all Reaper gave her.

"…Can I come?" Chamillia asked carefully.

"No," Reaper replied shortly.

"Oh…"

Reaper could hear the defeat in Chamillia's voice. She felt a tug in her chest at the young girl's tone, a feeling nearly foreign to the angry woman. Lately, it was difficult for _anyone_ that wasn't Neo to get anything that wasn't anger or exhaustion out of her. Reaper turned back around to see Chamillia with her head hung low, and the tug in her chest repeated itself.

She sighed again, heavily. "Look, Cham, I'm just going out for a little bit. Can't sleep," Reaper assured.

Chamillia looked up at Reaper, nodding.

"It's probably not smart for you to follow me around at one in the morning anyway," Reaper continued, "Who knows what trouble I'll get up to?"

Chamillia giggled briefly and laid back down. Neo shifted in her sleep, unconsciously wrapping her arms around the little girl, and the two ended up snuggling. Much to Chamillia's delight.

Reaper threw on her tattered cape and stepped out of the room. She entered the common room to the sight of Weiss leaning against the front door, staring into the darkness. "The hell are you doing up?"

Weiss turned, surprised to see another awake at this hour. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Yeah, but I asked first. It's only polite," Reaper smirked.

Weiss sighed, her gaze returning forward out the door. "I guess I'm just anxious. The longer we sit here waiting, the further ahead Salem is going to get…"

"Something happen?" Reaper asked, leaning on the other side of the door.

To answer this, Weiss held out her scroll for Reaper to read. It was showing a newsfeed headlined _FREAK STORM SWEEPS SHADE ACADEMY._ "Several people have been hospitalized, including Shade's headmaster. According to Qrow and Professor Ozpin, it looks like the work of a maiden."

Reaper didn't have anything to say in response.

"Well, it's your turn. Why are _you_ up?" Weiss asked.

"That would be the polite thing to do, wouldn't it?" Reaper smiled.

"Of course… I suppose _I'm_ the idiot for thinking you would be polite," Weiss rolled her eyes.

Reaper gave a short laugh, staring out into the night. A comfortable silence fell between them, but Reaper still broke it before too long, "Nightmares."

"Come again?" Weiss was caught off guard.

"You asked why I'm awake," Reaper reminded her, "I haven't had a flashback in days. But still the images attack, this time in my sleep…"

"Wow…" Weiss voiced.

"What?" Reaper scowled.

"Nothing," Weiss defended, "It's just… a hassle to get any real response out of you, and it's usually sarcastic when we do."

"Maybe I just felt like being polite," Reaper responded shortly, quickly regretting opening up.

"You, polite?" Weiss almost laughed.

"Well, maybe-! _Ugh…_ "

"Maybe what?" Weiss asked.

"Nothing," Reaper cut quickly.

"Maybe what?" Weiss asked again, more serious in her voice.

Reaper sighed. "Maybe it's just too quiet."

"When have you ever had a problem with things being too quiet?" Weiss teased, and then a thought hit her. There had been so much going on, it was easy to overlook little things. Things like a certain silence. "Speaking of… how _has_ Ember been?" she tried to word carefully.

Reaper didn't know if it had something to do with the calm night, her own exhaustion, or maybe she actually wanted to talk, but the words spilled quickly from her mouth. "I don't know if she was a casualty of that thing with Korruption, or if her silence is proof I still have parasite bodies in my head somewhere, but she's… not here."

The silence fell again, Weiss taking in this new information and Reaper having run out of things to say. In an effort to break the silence once more, Weiss spoke up, "Well, once our gear _finally_ comes in, hopefully we can get started."

"I don't know if I'd be so quick," Reaper shrugged.

"We _have_ to get started, the sooner the better," Weiss argued.

"I know," Reaper assured, "I'm just saying 'enjoy it while it lasts'. We're not going to get another extended rest like this once things kick off."

"You don't think so?" Weiss asked.

"After this, what else is there to wait on?" Reaper started counting off on her fingers, "Raven's bandits, Haven's relic. Amber is already with us, so we go straight to Beacon's relic. If any of that goes wrong we still have the winter maiden and Atlas's relic on reserve. Then we take the fight."

"I guess you have a point…" Weiss admitted, "By the way, I'm not the only one who thinks they're being deliberately dodgy about the winter maiden's identity?"

"I think we're dealing with people who would throw us to wolves if they can justify it to themselves," Reaper growled.

Weiss was a little taken aback by the change in tone.

They fell silent once again until Reaper decided it was her turn to break it. "Hey, Weiss, you're, um… well studied?"

"I like to think so?" Weiss was happy to keep this calmer tone.

"What do you know about the myths and legends of Remnant?" Reaper asked.

"Not much," Weiss answered, "There are so many, and my father didn't want anything 'impractical' in my curriculum."

"So, you've never heard any legends of silver-eyed warriors?" The dark woman asked slowly.

Weiss stared pointedly at Reaper's good eye, deep into the silver pool. "No… no I haven't…"

"Well, it was worth a try," Reaper coughed quickly before Weiss could ask any questions and stepped out the door.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked instead.

"Out," Reaper told her off-handedly as she walked, "Between Ozpin, your sister, and my nightmares, I seriously need some _me_ time." She stopped and turned around and smirked, putting on a fake monster voice, "unless you want to try and stop me? I could be going to report you to my _master_."

"You have been deliberately antagonistic with everyone since you got here, and half of us aren't even sure you want to stay," Weiss explained, "Not exactly the actions of a spy."

"Unless I'm a really clever spy?" Reaper smiled.

"Yeah, Korruption didn't strike me as that smart."

Both of them got a good laugh out of that one. Reaper looked up, "So I'm off the hook?"

"Well, I can't be a hundred percent sure unless I could crack open your head and look inside, and you _are_ still a crook," Weiss smile kept for a second. It fell once she looked back at her scroll, "I've got enough to worry about. Just don't do anything stupid."

"Can't guarantee," Reaper joked. She waved off her old friend and was on her way.

* * *

"Who knew there were shops like this in Atlas?"

Reaper stepped lightly through a darkened store selling all kinds of black clothing and rock memorabilia. Behind the counter she found the control panel for the security system and kicked it out. "That'll give me a few minutes of fun. Finally get to blow off a bit of steam… speaking of…" she smiled as she spotted the sound system. In a moment, her scroll was plugged in and she was stalking the shelves to the beat of the music.

 _Alright, alright, it's a hell of a feeling now!  
It's a hell of a feeling now!_

Reaper dragged her hands across the boots, stopping at a pair that caught her eye. Knee-high, buckles all the way up, with a forward-facing metal plate on each strap.

 _Who are these people?  
I just woke up in my underwear  
No liquor left on the shelf  
I should probably introduce myself_

Reaper picked up fresh black jeans, a red belt, a pair of fingerless gloves, and the first black shirt she saw on her way through the shelves, hopping to the beat of the song the whole way.

 _You shoulda seen what I wore  
I had a cane and a party hat  
I was the king of this hologram  
Where there's no such thing as getting out of hand_

Reaper took her sweet time as the song picked up, knocking things off shelves, singing, and dancing her way toward the back of the shop.

 _Memories tend to just pop up  
Drunk pre-meds and some rubber gloves  
Five-thousand people with designer drugs  
Don't think I'll ever get enough, don't think I'll ever get enough!_

There was still one last piece to replace, and Reaper found just the kind of thing she was looking for at the very back. She whipped it off the rack with a flourish and began to change.

 _I'm a scholar and a gentleman  
And I usually don't fall when I try to stand_

Reaper stepped back in front of the mirror in her new clothing, completed by a coat that hung past her knees with an oversized hood.

 _I lost a bet to a guy in a Chiffon skirt  
But I make these high heels work_

She idly rolled the sleeves of the coat up past her elbows, watching red and blue lights appear outside the storefront window.

 _I've told you time and time again  
I'm not as think as you drunk I am_

Three human officers and two android backups stormed inside in time to watch Reaper take the hooded-skull insignia clasp from her old cape and pin it to her jacket's right shoulder. "Hands up!"

 _And we all fell down when the sun came up  
I think we've had enough_

Reaper raised the hood with a genuine smile. "Time to break this stuff in." In a flash of petals, policeman number one was sent flying into a wall, collapsing shelves as he fell.

 _Champagne, cocaine, gasoline,  
And most things in between!_

Reaper appeared in front of officer two, grabbing his pistol hand and flipping him over her shoulder onto the ground, keeping the pistol for herself. As she spun back around, she jumped and kicked the head of the first android clean off.

 _I roam the city in a shopping cart,  
A pack of camels and a smoke alarm!_

The head of the first android collided with the second, throwing it off balance. Reaper raised the pistol and squeezed off three quick rounds, disabling the second robot. Officer two was finding his feet, but quick thinking and a pistol whip took him down for the count.

 _This night is heating up,  
Raise hell and turn it up!_

Reaper knew there was still a third officer at the front window, now to her back. She turned and threw the pistol as fast as she could manage, trying to beat his trigger finger. She was successful, and the weapon struck his head before he could fire, disorienting him.

 _Saying "If you go out you might pass out in a drain pipe"_

Wasting no time, Reaper rushed the final officer before he could recover. That fresh, new boot smell would be the last thing he recalled about that night before he was kicked through the window.

 _Oh yeah, don't threaten me with a good time!_

The song wound down. Reaper stood straight and exhaled, a smirk on her face. " _That_ was fun!"

Her attention was caught by sirens in the distance. She glanced back at the androids, whose emergency lights were flashing. _That's my exit,_ she told herself, jogging back behind the counter to retrieve her scroll. As she pulled it from the sound system, her eyes lingered on a cheap-looking safe under the register. Her smirk grew.

* * *

 **If you want to see Reaper's outfit for yourself, I'll have a sketch up on Instagram and Tumblr in a day or two!**


	13. End of Rest

The sun crested the horizon as Reaper approached the pre-fab, still humming the song from the store. She was feeling the absolute freshest she had felt since… well, a very long time. _When was the last time I had a real break? Before Korruption it was Creature, before creature it was Torchwick… was it the Vytal Tournament? Has it been that long?_

Reaper reached the building and stepped through the front door. Weiss was asleep on the common area couch, and Blake was at work in the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?"

"Some meat, some vegetables, some noodles, a bit of white sauce…" Blake answered, "Whatever I can find and make edible. We have a lot of mouths to feed."

"Need help?" Reaper shrugged, in too good a mood to be her recently unfriendly self.

"Actually, if you could…" Blake pointed out a few directions for Ruby to follow. "Thanks."

"Anything else?" Reaper asked.

"No, this is simple, it's just a lot," Blake smiled, "You might not want to hang around a place with too many sharp objects anyways."

"Why not?" Reaper crossed her arms.

"Winter was on a warpath this morning," Blake informed her, "She was convinced you were involved in a robbery last night, and that it proved everything she thinks about you. I didn't know whether she wanted to arrest you or stab you." The faunus turned to face her friend, " _Did_ you partake in criminal activity?"

"Come on, you really suspect lil' old me?" Reaper put on an innocent smile.

"Nice boots," Blake teased knowingly, "they still have a tag on them, by the way."

Reaper ripped said tag off and tossing it in the trashcan. "No they don't, I've had these forever!" she winked.

She did leave the kitchen, not wanting to be in Blake's way if she wasn't going to be helpful. Besides, she still had someone to show off her new look to…

Reaper re-entered her room and saw Neo was still asleep, her and Chamillia holding each other close. She leaned up against the wall and watched over them for a moment. Ever since the asylum, Chamillia had been stuck to her like glue. It was starting to have a similar effect on her that Neo had in the beginning. And right now, she was in such a good mood that even though she could see it, she just didn't care.

"Breakfast call."

Blake's voice surprised Reaper, who had gotten caught up in her own head. "Right, thanks," she nodded to the feline faunus in the doorway. Once Blake left, Reaper walked over to bed and started shaking the frame with her boot. "Wakey, wakey, girls! Wake up call for thieves and killers alike!"

Neo was roused by the rustling. Something felt strange as she woke. She clearly had her arms around a body, but then why was Reaper's voice coming from behind her? She forced to eyes open to see who it was she was holding. Seeing it was Chamillia was, somehow, not as unwelcome as she assumed… _Is this what I did to Reaper?_

"C'mon, you two, Blake made breakfast!"

Reaper kept bothering them until the finally got up. On their way into the common area to grab food, Neo stopped to look over Reaper's clothing. "Like it?" the dark woman asked.

 _Cape?_ Neo signed in question.

"Store didn't have one, and I kinda felt like tryin' something new anyway," Reaper smiled, "A coat like this is basically a cape with sleeves, right? The hood's the important part," she raised hers to make her point, "and I got that covered!"

Neo stared at her for a second before smiling and giggling silently. _You seem better._

"Neo, you ever been depressed for so long, that the second you finally smile again, you just can't stop?" Reaper threw her arm around her small lover as they walked out the room, "I had a bit of fun last night, and I finally feel refreshed for the first time in weeks, maybe longer! Who knew it would take something other than sleep to make me feel rested?"

 _You had fun without me?_ Neo frowned.

"Aww," Reaper caught the frown, "Next time I feel like going into town at one in the morning, I'll wake you up, okay?"

Neo smiled and nodded. They stepped into the common area to see most of everyone already there and eating.

Winter was the first to spot Reaper. "You," she growled.

"Mornin', sweetie," Reaper teased, grinning. Neo rolled her eyes, _here we go_.

"You have nerve returning here!" Winter stood and got into Reaper's face, "We are in the middle of serious business, and you go out and… and… _indulge_!?"

"What are going to do, arrest me?" Reaper goaded.

"That's enough, both of you!" Weiss shouted, getting between the two, "Back off, opposite ends of the room! That means you too, Reaper!"

"We can't seriously be keeping her around after her 'antics'!?" Winter grimaced.

"Oh, but you _need_ me, right Ozzy?" Reaper shot a glare at Oscar and the wizard in his head. Oscar averted his eyes.

"What does _that_ mean?" Winter asked.

"Never mind, just play nice already!" Weiss pushed her sister back, thoughts of 'silver-eyed warriors' entering her mind. "Seriously, we're on the same team here."

"Are we?" Winter growled.

Reaper stuck her tongue out.

"I hate you," Winter spoke shortly.

"Awww, Winty, you _do_ care!" Reaper put on a cutesy voice.

Winter scowled.

Reaper blew her a kiss.

Weiss sighed, collapsing into her seat. "How are we supposed to save the world with team cohesion like _this_ …"

"Maybe these'll help?"

All eyes turned to the open door where Qrow stood, carrying multiple cases in his hands, arms, and over his shoulder. "Fresh from Atlas labs. They're finally finished."

"Oh, hell yes!" Reaper smiled. Her first good day in a while just kept getting better. _I finally get to hold it in my hands… It's just too bad I couldn't make it myself…_

"Here you go," He started passing out packages. Mostly resupplies of dust and honed and enhanced weapons. A couple even got new, sturdier clothing. And of course, for Reaper and Neo, custom designed, custom built, brand new kit. Reaper eagerly grabbed her case and ran her finger across the lettering in the corner.

 _Redjack_

Neo grabbed her own case just as quickly. She gave a brief thought to the name on the case, Three Flavors, as she clumsily opened it with her one hand. Inside lay a shining prosthesis next to three thin tubes of dust. She eagerly took the hand in hand ad affixed it to the cap on her stump. She felt a bit of a shock in her head as connections formed, and quickly shook them off. Cautiously, she tried to move the fingers on her right hand.

Slowly, the fingers closed, and Neo smiled.

"It looks good on you," Reaper complimented, having put her own unpacking on hold to watch her lover's new hand.

Neo tested her hand more thoroughly and began to frown. As she moved her new joints faster, she began to notice a delay.

Qrow spoke up about this, "The lab guys told me there may a delay for a few days, but it'll close as the cybernetic gets used to your body."

Neo nodded, reassured. Combat testing was out of the question, but there were till something she could do. Neo eyed a latch on the inside of her new arm, trying to activate its function with aura and mental controls. It quickly unlatched, to Neo's joy, and the bulk of her new hand swung open on a hinge. She picked up the dust tubes and loaded them, one by one, down the top of the open arm into chambers awaiting them. She flipped her arm closed, the dust now secure within.

With a smile, she gestured to Reaper's case with her new hand. Reaper nodded, her fingers going to the latches.

 _Click. Click._

Reaper opened her case and laid her eye on Redjack. She ran her hand up the matte-black shaft, her gaze wandering ahead of her hand to the headpiece. A stainless-steel skull, because what else? The headpiece was connected by a section of stainless-steel shaft thinner than its black body. A careful eye could see the seam that foretold this silver section extending inside the black shaft. She took Redjack in hand and stood. Left hand on the skull-piece, tip set on the floor, with her elbow bent. It was slightly taller than a walking stick should be, but exactly to her specification.

"A walking-stick?" Blake raised her eyebrow.

"Blakey, Blakey," Reaper smiled, shifting Redjack so it was between her feet with both hands on the head. "In a world where 99 percent of weapons transform, you should know there's _always_ more than meets the eye."

"Well, somehow it compliments your current style of dress," Weiss complimented. "No one would think on first glance it was anything more, which I suppose is what you were after."

"Thank you," Reaper tossed Redjack up and caught it by the middle of the shaft before sitting back down.

"Now that all of this is _finally_ here," Amber spoke up, "can we please get started? I'm tired of sitting on my ass."

"And do what, comb all of Anima, if she's even still on Mistral's continent?" Qrow questioned.

Everyone looked at him. "What are you saying?" Ash asked.

"I spoke to Ironwood when I picked up the gear. We need to narrow down our search _before_ we get ourselves lost in the wilds," the greyed huntsman explained, "He's going to send spies out to try and narrow the field."

"But Ironwood still answers to the Vytal council," Winter pointed out.

"And if we're not telling the council about all this, he has to try and keep it all from them…" Weiss realized. "Are… are we really _still_ waiting!?"

"It gives us more time to train?" Oscar pointed out.

Even Weiss groaned at that.

"If only Ironwood _didn't_ answer to the council…" Chamillia complained.

"Everyone has to held accountable," Winter defended. She narrowed her eyes at Reaper, "Otherwise the world would be full of-"

"Criminals!" Reaper cut her off, her voice full of inspiration.

Qrow turned to fully face his niece, a curious look in his eye. "Are you thinking something?"

"I'm thinking if we want to speed up the search, we need someone who has influence not unlike the general's, who doesn't answer to anyone," Reaper formulated, "Even better if they themselves don't ask too many questions."

Neo's eyed shot wide, immediately picking up on Reaper's idea. She shook her head, _are you crazy?_

"You got a better idea?" Reaper asked her colorful lover, "Please, _someone_ have a better idea! I don't want to deal with _him_ any more than you all do."

"Who?" Ash asked.

"You wouldn't!" Winter caught on, "We can't!"

"Oh, shove it, Winter," Reaper rolled her eyes, "This is a _shadow war_! We might have to do some shady shit to get ahead. The only reason you put up with me _at all_ and haven't already arrested me is because, deep down, you know that. And I'm your expert on shady shit."

Winter opened her mouth but found herself without a response.

"Look, if Ironwood comes through before we're done dealing, we can cut ties and use the General's intel," Reaper offered. "None of us want to stay here another week – another _day_ – and this plan gets us, boots on the ground, doing _something_."

"How is finding this person any easier than finding Raven?" Qrow asked. He still wasn't quite sure who 'he' was.

"He'll definitely be in kingdom, either Mistral or Vacuo…" Reaper thought aloud.

Neo sighed in defeat, singing a quick 'M'.

"Neo's thinking Mistral. Its criminal reputation precedes it, so it's certainly likely," Blake translated.

"Right, and wherever he is, he's likely established already," Reaper continued thinking aloud, "He's not afraid to play dirty to get what he wants as quickly as he wants."

"That's still an entire kingdom," Weiss pointed out, "Not to mention the hardest to search to begin with."

Reaper looked Winter dead in the eye, and Winter's gaze fell to the ground. Reaper smirked, "You still have Creature's Eye, don't you?"

"Um, ew?" Ash winced.

Winter sighed, "Yes. It's hidden with my regular equipment, which is in my private quarters on base since I am on 'vacation'."

"So unless someone _does_ have a better idea – and I repeat, please do," Reaper quietly pleaded, "Or unless you _really do_ want to sit here, waiting on the 'official channels', I'd say we have a plan."

Everyone sat in stunned silence. "Well?"

"We do agree," Weiss nodded, "We're just a little surprised, I think. You didn't exactly make it a secret you originally planned to take off. Now you're coming up with our plan?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not suddenly enthused for this war," Reaper assured them. "But if I _am_ staying, I might as well _try_ and be useful. And to be fair, it's not like I used a lot of brainpower or planned this pitch for days or anything. It just came together and made sense."

"I suppose I'll go retrieve the Eye…" Winter stood up.

With that, the impromptu meeting adjourned, and those who finished their food left to prepare for the trip ahead. Those who hadn't even started breakfast yet, like Reaper, stood to feed themselves before making their own preparations.

Reaper stopped as she passed Weiss, turning her head to face her. "I hope you took my advice and enjoyed the last of our rest."

"Things are about to 'kick off'," Weiss nodded, "I'm ready."

Reaper smiled, twirling Redjack. "Good."

* * *

 **Another act come and gone. Hopefully the next one won't be so... troublesome. I really hope I'm not just burning out on this story, because I do want to finish it. I'll see you all in act 3!**

 **-VengfulFate**


	14. PSA: Where my head is at right now

**Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck…**

 **It's been some time, hasn't it? Last time I was even a month late, I apologized and gave you guys an update. I'm sorry it's taken so much longer this time for you guys to hear from me, but I'm having a lot of issues with this story. Issues that extend deeper than just writer's block.**

 **An overabundance of characters, for one. Nearly twenty characters (I counted) that I was trying to balance and split a decent ratio of time amongst, only three of which were completely original. Then there's Ruby, put through enough shit to basically be a different character (semi-original, if you will), and wouldn't you know, these few are among my favorites. But all of them feel necessary to place** _ **somewhere**_ **, if only because their canon personalities and interactions within Black Reaper's own history wouldn't allow them to sit the sidelines and I couldn't think of an adequate excuse to exclude them.**

 **I also gave myself one or two too many plotlines, which I admit is only my own fault. What happened to Ember, Ash's and Camillia's development, Torchwick, speaking to Raven, silver eyes… many of them are connected, and most of the ideas I have for them I still feel are** _ **very**_ **good. The problem here is that I don't have any idea how to implement all of them in a single, uncomplicated timeline.**

 **The plotlines I** _ **want**_ **to pursue and the plotlines I** _ **have**_ **to pursue seem to be in two different camps. The latter camp happens to include the characters actually fighting Salem in the end, which causes HUGE problems out the gate. I'm far more interested in pitting Leid Kale as a dedicated rival for Reaper, and leaving Salem as more of a 'villain mentor' for Kale. This causes a problem for if I were to actually follow through with this thought, I'm sure many people wouldn't be happy to see an OC get more fight time than the canon villain from the source material in the** _ **final battle**_ **.**

 **I think letting Salem and the canon plot enter Black Reaper may have been my biggest mistake. Since Blake Reaper** _ **does**_ **follow canon until the Battle of Beacon in volume 3, I felt I** _ **had**_ **to include Salem and co, because otherwise** _ **why**_ **did Cinder attack the school? If I were writing BR2 now instead of having already made this exact mistake, I may have found some way around it, but it's too little too late now.**

 **My current lack of motivation may also be tied to how I feel about recent RWBY. To be honest, I haven't even finished volume 6. The last episode I watched Yang hadn't showed up to Blake and Adam's fight yet. But I have heard things. Knowing Adam dies makes me feel like they underutilized his character. Knowing he may have died as an alter to make Bumblebee canon offends my opinion that RWBY canon shouldn't have any romantic focus for the main girls, especially between each other.**

 **Don't get me wrong, I** _ **clearly**_ **have no issue with lesbian romance, or romance in RWBY because I love Nora and Ren and what they did with Jaune and Pyrrha is nice and bold. The show just felt more unique when the girls of team RWBY were allowed to be just friends. I don't even like the idea of RWBY dating outside the team, because you'd think they have** _ **enough**_ **to deal with without awkward and possibly ham-fisted sexual tension. I mean, isn't all that what fan fiction is for?**

 **And am I the only one who feels underwhelmed by the actual power of the overhyped 'silver-eyed warriors' and the Godly Relics? Seriously, three questions every hundred years seems weaksauce for an artifact made by** _ **fucking**_ _ **gods**_ **. I honestly plan to change how the relics and silver-eyed powers work in Black Reaper to be more in tune with my theories from before their reveals in canon, theories I feel still have very solid foundations that the truths seem to have ignored.**

 **I still love RWBY. I plan to eventually catch up on the show, hopefully before volume 7 begins. And the base characters themselves are certainly still interesting enough that I don't plan to stop writing anytime soon. There just seems to be a** _ **shift**_ **in how RWBY is being written lately, and I'm not as excited as I used to be. Motivations seem to have shifted, especially in the villains, making me question what I was so sure about a few years ago when I started obsessing over RWBY (that obsession being what drove me to write fan fiction in the first place).**

 **At the end of the day, this entire note has been a massive apology for only writing 1042 words for the entirety of act 3 in nearly 3 months. I haven't even finished a single chapter. This apology letter has more words. I hate it. Black Reaper was my pet project, my passion, my** _ **baby**_ **back when I wrote the first one. The last thing I want to do is give up on Black Reaper 3, or spend so long writing it that everyone still invested gives up, but I just can't seem to bash through this wall I've hit.**

 **I even spent the last few weeks** _ **purposefully**_ **not writing anything hoping time or reading someone else's fanfics for old times sake (something I stopped doing the more I wrote) would spark my motivation, but I only found myself thinking of other projects, some of which I've had content for chilling on my PC for over a year, and some that are brand new to my head.**

 **Black Reaper is not going to die. If for no other reason than my pure stubborn nature refuses to let me officially put a story on ice, or god forbid, bury it before its time. But it's time for me to admit where I'm failing and realize it's going to take a bit more time for everything to come together in this snowballing clusterfuck.**

 **I want to start putting out chapters again, even if they're not for BR3. I want to get activity on my pages, follows, and reviews again. I want to feel like my passion for writing isn't slowly dying, because I** _ **do**_ **still enjoy putting my stories out there and receiving feedback.**

 **So here's the deal. Act 3 for Black Reaper 3 will come when it's ready. But I just can't force it, and believe me I've tried. I'm going to work on it, but I'm going to work on other stories because trying to dedicate myself to BR3 has caused my page to come to a slow but inevitable stop and my few regular readers, reviewers, and (dare I say) fans' usernames no longer gracing my email alerts on a weekly basis is largely demotivating in and of itself. I've probably even lost a few by now. I'm also planning to begin cross-posting to AO3 because fuck-it-why-not?**

 **Anyway, thank you for listening to my little rant if you have. Hopefully it goes towards explaining where my mind has been at since I finally started Black Reaper 3, and hopefully you aren't too disappointed. Though it's probably stupid to not expect some of you to drop your follows after I've continually broken my promises of timely chapter releases, but I can't blame anyone else for my own mistakes.**

 **TL;DR : I'm not dropping this story, but new chapters will take some time yet as I'm no longer working on it exclusively in favor of hopefully livening up my page by –** _ **gasp**_ **\- releasing new content.**

 **\- Vengfulfate**


End file.
